The Ballad of Hyata Tadashi
by Shorinji Ryu
Summary: This story is about Hyata Tadashi, a jounin level ninja from Kumogakure. One day he wakes up to find an empty village, a peace treaty and betrayal. Will he ever get vengence? Rated M for course language and realistic combat violence. NOT YAOI.
1. Chapter 1: Treaties and Betrayal

**The Ballad of Hyata Tadashi**

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other Manga/Anime. This is the story of Hyata Tadashi, a ninja from Kumogakure. As a former Black Ops. team leader, he has given everything to protect his village and has seen many bloody battles. One day he wakes up to an empty town, a peace treaty and betrayal. Rated M for course language and realistic combat violence.

Tadashi's description as follows:

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 160 lbs.

Build: muscular

Skin Color: fair

Hair: light brown, short hair, think Duo Maxwell from Gundam Wing without a ponytail

Eye Color: gray-blue

Handedness: left-handed

Sexual orientation: Heterosexual

Clothing: dark blue light jacket with a large black "X" pattern on the front and back and a black stripe going down the outside of each sleeve, inside is lined black, jacket is left open, Fishnet shirt. Blue stringed necklace with silver beads and tubes (tubes have cut outs to see the string), black cargo pants, black boots.

He wears his forehead protector on its traditional place.

Weaponry: a Katana, Wakizashi and Tanto (Matching set with blue scabbards, black hilt and blue handles with black wrapping.), Black Longbow and leather quiver (Arrows are chakra enhanced), kunai, shurikan, smokebombs, explosive tags and tripwire. He wears his two short swords on his back (Handles opposing) and carries the katana on his right side. The bow is slung over his right shoulder when not in use.

If anyone reads this who is skilled in drawing, I encourage artwork of this character and would be very grateful if sent to me.

Chapter 1

Treaties and Betrayals

It was a cloudy day in Kumogakure. It was always cloudy. After staring out of my window, I realized I had wasted half the day away. However, I couldn't help it, due to the fact that I had a strange feeling that today would not end well. I took a look around my apartment; my place was a mess. I've been on many missions lately and it showed, even some blood stains were still in the carpeting. I started to tidy up when I heard a knock at the door. I wish I'd never answered it. It was the Raikage's assistant. I invited her inside, but she refused. "You have a meeting with the Raikage, two p.m.", she stated. She left; no goodbye, no other words exchanged, which cemented my feelings of insecurity. "Was it another mission?" I thought. I looked over to my clock. "One Thirty?! What the hell!"

I busted out the door, slamming it behind me. Running as fast as could down the street, I had realized something unusual. There were absolutely no people on the busiest street in the village! All the shops were closed as well! I went to the nearest guard post to get some information on this incident, but no one was there! I had to get to the Raikage. I ran as fast as I could to the Raikage's headquarters, went strait to his office, sprinted through the door and yelled, "Where the hell is everybody!!?" "In their homes", the Raikage replied.

"Is the village under attack?"

"No."

"Then why the hell is there nobody on guard?!"

"All missions and duties have been canceled."

"Then why am I here?"

" A few years back we signed a treaty with Konoha, stating that we would share information and resources in the name of peace."

"Yeah, everyone knows that. Why are you telling me this?"

"Remember Sai?"

"Didn't he die a few months back? K.I.A., right?"

"He was a traded "resource"."

"So your saying that in order to pay a debt to Konoha, you're giving me to them?

After all I have done for the village; you're sending me away from my home? I refuse!"

"I wouldn't refuse if I were you…if you do, you are to be exiled…"

"At least its better than fighting for a foreign nation", I thought.

"…And your testicles removed…"he added.

"Aww, shit!" I thought.

"…With a chainsaw."

"Okay!!! I get it!" I blurted out.

"I still don't understand why nobody is outside." I said.

"We are marking this day with a holiday" the Raikage stated, " in reverence of what you've done for this village. They are honoring you!"

"Can I ever comeback?"

"No. Now pack your belongings then go to the medical ward."

"Why?"

"Because, we need a full medical report for the Hokage. You will be giving it to her yourself."

"No, no, no… I meant why can't I visit?"

"We don't want you to look like a goddamn spy, that's why!"

I was starting to get under his skin; he was clenching his fists, grinding his teeth. It's bad news if you anger the Raikage, but I didn't care. I was being betrayed by the man I respected most and I had questions.

"But why me? Why not someone else?!" I asked.

"Sai was an elite ninja…"

"Sai died three months ago!" I interrupted him.

Suddenly he stood up, let out a loud yell and punched his desk in two! Breathing heavily, he said, "Nonetheless, you were chosen for your abilities and your intelligence. We won't send sub-standard ninja and your the golden standard. Now go before I do to you what I did to my desk!" I bowed thinking, "This is bullshit", and left the office. "I will see you at the west gate," the Raikage said as I shut the door.

Walking down these empty streets I felt rejected, not honored; my head hung low as I went back to my humble apartment. Opening the door, I found the forms for the medical exam already neatly stacked on the kitchen table. I neatly filled out the required fields, folded them and put them in my pocket. I started packing my things, starting from the back (my room) and working my way forward. As I put things in boxes, I started to remember all the missions; all the times' I've went to protect the people of this village, no country. Afterwards, I put all my things on a horse drawn cart that the Raikage supplied to me. I went back inside to put on my weaponry. I prepared myself as if I was going on a mission; you can never be over-prepared. However I was missing something important. "Where is my bow and quiver?" I asked myself. Thus, I started to unpack, frantically searching for my lost article. I finally found the damn thing hidden away in a box of bathroom supplies. ""How the hell did it get in there?" I wondered. After reloading the cart, I was off to the medical ward.

The medical exam was simple. A blood and urine test, a full physical, the whole "turn your head and cough" thing; it was obvious I passed. They gave me a six by nine-inch card with all of my medical information along with another card detailing my history of past injuries. I took them and went on my way. As I headed to the west gate, I passed the graveyard where my black ops squad was buried. Both of them died when we took on a force of seventy rouge ninja that were planning a raid on Kumogakure. I decided to visit their graves. I never knew their actual names, to the effect that we were black ops. For their families' protection, I only knew them by call sign, and the headstones were marked, as I knew them. I missed Raven and Shadow terribly, so I said a quick prayer and I was off; I was depressed enough today.

As I continued to the west gate I came across my favorite weapons dealer, Kazumi's. She was a goddamned bitch, but she made the best chakra assisted weapons in Thunder Country. She has fashioned all of my current weaponry, even down to the arrows I shoot. One of her arrows, chakra enhanced, can go through ten men, most other arrows would be lucky to go through three. She was closed in observance of the order that the Raikage gave. She had a new item displayed in her window, a blade of foreign design that folds into the handle for easy concealment. I would have bought the knife as a momento of Kazumi's fine craftsmanship (or craftswomanship). As I walked away I felt a callused hand on my shoulder. It was Kazumi with the discrete weapon in her hand.

She handed me the intricate knife and said, " a farewell present for my most distinguished and faithful patron." "You know you're not supposed to be outside?" I asked.

"Who gives a shit, you ungrateful bastard!"

Even though completely tactless, Kazumi was beautiful. With dark-brown hair that was cut shoulder length and worn in a ponytail and with dark red eyes like the setting sun, the only way to miss her in a crowd was to be blind. "I never said I was ungrateful." I interjected. "Well guess what dickhead," she said sharply, "a quarter of my business is flyin' out the window because of the Raikage. So, he can go suck a prick."

"Well, I didn't have a say in the whole damn matter."

"Really…"

"Yeah, really! He said he would castrate me if I didn't go!"

"Oh, c'mon… that's nothin'!"

"Your only saying that cause you're a chick!"

We did date for a short time, way back when I first became a Jounin. It's pretty obvious that the relationship didn't end well. "What's so great about peace anyway?" she fumed, "All it means is lost revenue…"

"Business always first, right?" I replied.

"Hell yes! Now I better get the hell outta here before I make a goddamn scene and get into trouble."

"Well you've already made a scene… Let's try to prevent the trouble part."

I started to walk away. She went to her door, opened it and said, "You better not die like that bastard Sai!" As she went in, I yelled back, " Yeah, cause Sai was way better than me!" She laughed as she closed the door.

As I approached the western gate, I found something completely irresponsible. Nobody was guarding the gate! The Raikage wasn't kidding about all the missions being cancelled, even the protection of the village was no longer a priority due to this "special day of gratitude". "If you wish to honor me," I thought, "protect the village with everything you have and respect me by respecting each other." Getting closer, I saw the Raikage; he had come to say his final farewells. I really didn't want to talk to him. He called out, "Tadashi! Go forth on your glorious mission of peace! Show Konoha that Kumogakure is a faithful ally!" He finished his over enthused greeting just when I got to him. In his hand he held a Konoha forehead protector. "Here, put this on!" he said enthusiastically as he shoved the article into my face. "Thanks…" I replied half-heartedly while I stuffed the item into my pocket.

"Are you ready to embark on your most important mission, yet?"

"Well it was either this or leave everything behind including my balls…"

"Cheer up boy! You're onto pastures anew!"

"The grass isn't always greener on the other side, you know?"

I didn't think he heard me.

"Once you walk out this gate," he exclaimed, "you are an official Kohonagakure ninja and therefore no longer a citizen of this village." I really had to curb my enthusiasm. "We will remember you and what you have done for the citizens of this great hidden village!"

"If you want to remember anything," I thought, "remember the ones who gave their lives for their home, not the ones who were skilled and/or lucky enough to come back, just to be betrayed."

"Goodbye, our eternal friend!" the Raikage shouted out with ecstasy. "Bye." I replied flatly.

As I stepped out of the village, leading my horse as he pulled my belongings, remorse filled my heart. I felt betrayed, embarrassed, confused. I left the village with many questions. "Why me? Why not someone else? Were there volunteers? Who ultimately decided that I was the one to go? Did I have any enemies that I was unaware of? Why the hell did I pack my quiver and bow into the damned bathroom supplies?" I kept thinking as I went further and further away from my former home. Eventually, these questions changed subject from my departure to my destination. "What is Konoha like? Where will I get my equipment? What is the weather like there? Where will I be living? Will I actually get good missions?"

As the sun set, I started to set up camp. It was too dangerous to travel at night with a fully loaded cart, and it was a very long day. I tied up my horse, and fashioned a tent out of canvas and rope. I lit myself a small fire using Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique then made myself something to eat. I've always been a damn good cook, so I ate well. After eating I went inside my tent and went to bed, questions still popping into my head. "Are there any good looking ladies in Konoha? Are there any good bars? Is the Hokage a babe?" And that's when I grabbed the whiskey bottle…

END CHAPTER 1


	2. Chapter 2: A Chronicle of Adversity

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own NARUTO. I wish I did. To be honest who wouldn't?**

CHAPTER 2

A Chronicle of Adversity

In a daze, the Raikage walked through the halls of his center of operations. His face was cold, detached and the whites of his eyes yellow and bloodshot as he entered the door to his right. The room he came into was very dim, and he could only see the outline of two people. One short, lean silhouette was standing, and a large, muscular shadow kneeling to it. The Raikage went beside the massive outline and knelt as well. Then, the petite figure spoke in a beautiful feminine voice. "What do you have to report?" She asked in a warm and kind tone. "Ma'am", the Raikage said in monotone, "Stage one is complete. Hyata Tadashi has been effectively cast out of Kumogakure. He is unaware of our plot, blinded by his loyalty to his village and is bound for Konoha. We are able to strike immediately." "Excellent," the angelic figure replied. "What have you to report, Killer Bee?" The shadow to the Raikage's side replied, "Ma'am, we have already begun stage two. At this rate, we can initiate stage three in a week." "Wonderful", she said as she cracked a gleaming smile, "you are finally mine, Hyata Tadashi."

It took me three long days to get to the border. It would have been faster if I ran, but that would mean leaving all my possessions behind. The only thing interesting that happened was that a damn skunk went in my tent and sprayed me. In fact, I hadn't bathed until now. The only suitable spring I found was just passed the border between Thunder Country and the place of my heritage, Mountain Country. As I went into the cool, crisp water to wash I started to reflect on my family's past.

When my father and mother were children, the village they lived in, Kagerou, was destroyed and they were forced to live together in exile. After running around the country and determining that there was no safe place, they decided to immigrate to Thunder Country. After years of trying and emotional miscarriages, my mother finally gave birth to me and her death as the result of being under labor in old age. To this day, the doctor claims that I survived only due to my massive chakra reserves. Even though I was born in Kumogakure, I was still considered a foreigner due to my blood line for both my parents had been from Kagerou. This gave me problems socially well into my chuunin years.

After daydreaming ass-naked in cold water for some time, I figured it was time to move on. As I put my newly washed garments I had realized that I never took the Konoha headband out of my goddamned pocket. I took my old band and wrapped it around my left arm, to pay homage to my home and fallen friends. Finally, I put on the foreign article in its traditional place. The new piece of attire was uncomfortable; the shining, polished metal was basically flat. After taking it off and repeatedly trying to bend the damn thing with my hands and bashing it on numerous stones, it at long last became tolerable to wear.

Following that ordeal, I continued my navigation of the mountainous trail. Step by step, I began to immerse myself back into my memories, especially the memory about _him_. I was a chuunin whose team had been hand picked by the Lightning Daiyamo himself to escort him to Konoha. This was a high honor, especially when it was during the war against the Atkatsuki terrorist organization. The reasons the Daiyamo went to Konoha was on a need to know basis, still to this day I don't know why. One mission detail that was imperative, however, was revealed to me. Halfway through the assignment, we would have Konoha-nin merge with our efforts and if you don't know anything about the relations between Kumo and Konoha, let's just say we were not on the best terms. Before we met up, we met little resistance. A few ambushes by bandits here, a couple of poorly made traps there; all too easy of a mission even for a genin. That's when I met Uzumaki Naruto. At first, I couldn't believe that his team were ninja at all. First of all, Naruto wore a black and orange Jumpsuit and a flamed out overcoat. How the fuck are you supposed to sneak up on someone wearing that gaudy outfit. Granted, I wear personally styled garments but at least they're dark enough to where you can actually hide from someone. As for his demeanor, let's leave it at childish and tactless. Then there was his very loud teammate Haruna Sakura. She dyed her hair pink and wore a vibrant red top? This is when I came to the conclusion that Konoha wanted all their ninja dead. As for their other teammate, well at he at least looked the part except he wore a shirt way too small for him. Plus, his social skills really were terrible so it really got interesting watching the three interact. Hell, at least my team looked and acted professional but these three were like a damn vaudeville act. Unbeknownst to me, however, was how well they could fight. After greeting each other we went on our way towards Konoha, not knowing the drama that was about to ensue.

Two days later, I heard all of the stories Uzumaki had to tell. The tales about how he defeated Pain, that he is a disciple of one of the Sannin, or the fact that he is the jinchuuriki of the nine tales. When I first heard them, I couldn't believe it, but according to his teammates, they were one hundred percent true. My team was impressed; I still thought that it was bullshit. That night, He told us about his best friend, Uchiha Sasuke, how he became a traitor and Naruto's efforts to bring him back. "So, you believe that Sasuke is still your friend, after he abandoned your village, beat you almost to death, tried his best to avoid you and then joined a terrorist organization that's hell bent on world domination!", I blurted out. Naruto just nodded, as if he heard that question a million times. "All right, but do you really believe that he sees you in the same light?" I asked skeptically. "Either way," Naruto replied, "I promised to bring him back to Konoha. I promised Sakura and I promised myself." His voice was calm but full of resolve, which pissed me off all to hell. "Just because you promised Pinky-tan to get her object of misplaced affection back, doesn't mean that you have to scour the entire world just for her to dry hump him on the way back to the executioner's", I argued. I noticed Sakura's face flushed at the comment out of sheer embarrassment, and then she got up and walked towards me with her hands balled up into fists. Naruto just stood up in front of her, shook his head and whispered in her ear. I caught a bit of what he said that I discerned as "He's not worth the effort, anyway."

To this day, I think he tried to emphasize that small part of communication so that I could hear it. Defeated at her obvious intentions at causing me bodily harm she sat back down next to her emotionless teammate, arms crossed and muttering obscenely. I looked up and scowled at Naruto, only to find him scowling back. "I always keep my promises, no matter how hard they are to fulfill. That is my own ninja way." I smiled maliciously at the comment. "Your way of ninja, huh?" I replied, "I've had my fair share of missions, I've learned that the only honor a ninja gains is through serving the village, not through ethics and morality." I stood up, eye to eye to the jinchuuriki, giving him an evil smirk. "Don't fuckin' die so you can kick ass tomorrow. That is _my_ ninja way." With that, I just sat back down, my eyes not leaving his gaze. Then he smirked, sat down and muttered something that sounded like hopeless. Deep down, I really thought I was, but I wasn't going to let that surface after ending the conversation like that.

God damn it, I was such a prick back then. Looking around I caught myself daydreaming again about the past. Reminiscing was not the best thing to do at the time, due to the fact that I'm an easy target when leading a horse with all my belongings. I instantly froze. The land was scorched. I could see tall buildings, charred and mangled outside of broken gates. Where had my mindless wandering taken me? I tried to disrupt any attempts of genjustu, violently shifting my chakra while I shouted "Dispel!" Yet the city still remained, and the only reply I gained was the echo of my baritone command. "Could this really be?" I wondered out loud. Was I actually standing outside of Kagerou no Sato? I had envisioned the tales of my origins from a small village in the mountains, not a small city.

As I looked on I saw that some of the village was hewn and carved from the mountainside, turning the once gradual grade to a steep cliff. I decided upon investigating the place that should have been home. Walking through the gate I find myself walking through the scene of a once beautiful market, littered with the bones of both soldiers and civilians and the ashes of burned down shops, stalls, inns and entertainment venues. Carefully walking through the scattered remains of my ancestors, I delved deeper into the mingled vision of what was once a bustling metropolis. I dared not go into the buildings; Kagerou-nin were famous for their elaborate traps, one wrong step and you could find your head splattered on a nearby wall. Keeping to the streets, I saw more signs of battle but only a few scattered corpses had forehead protectors on their person. I came to the conclusion that Konoha really put a strain on Kagerou's military forces during their conflict, making this a cakewalk for the Tani no Kuni shinobi that ravaged the landscape, killing the very few ninja and the many, many civilians and children that resided here. How my parents ever escaped such carnage with their lives was beyond me. The road that I was on led me strait to a large cylindrical building carved into the large cliff. Above the doors, a large carved wooden sign with chipped paint read "Capitol Building". This is when my curiosity overtook my common sense and I had decided to go in and investigate. The door had many marks on it, it looked like that the Tani-nin tried to force their way in with a battering ram, but the door still held. However, when I grabbed the handle the door opened easily and then what I saw scared the living shit outta me.

There was a receptionist sitting at her desk, staring off into space looking right at me. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties which would have been impossible due to the fact that the village was sacked over 35 years ago. I waved my hand in front of her face, then started to poke her and out of frustration I slapped her but still gained no response. Feeling guilty about my lack of composure, I stroked her cheek, as if to apologize. To my surprise her skin was warm, which is much different when someone was either cryogenically frozen or dead for 37 years. I turned around getting a good look around the room and saw a paper tag with the kanji for seal written upon it. Not knowing much about fuuinjutsu, I'd opted to not mess with it and to keep the door open. For all I knew, it may have sealed the exit as well as the entrance. Going up a staircase, which followed the curve of the wall, I passed many floors, which seemed to have each it's own purpose. One floor was labeled finances and another was labeled as a library. Scouting each floor I found most of the offices empty, but some of the offices had people mimicking the receptionist's condition. Not until I got to the very top floor did I find the head of Kagerou's office. _" hm… I wonder why the more status you have the longer it takes you to get to your office…" _I thought. It was true, every assassination mission I went on… the target resided or worked on the highest level of his/her respected building, hell even Raikage-sama had his office overlooking the entire village. However, I digress.

I slowly entered the room the door creaking loudly at the rusty hinges to find a middle aged man in robes, looking out a large window at the small village with a distressed look on his face. In the corner I saw a shinobi crouching on the ground. He had looked to slam his palm into the ground and all around the floor there was black markings made of ink. Wandering over to the desk I found three items. The first was a photograph, which had taken me back. When I was young I had gone snooping in my parents belongings, I had found an old photograph of a young boy and girl with a middle aged man, all with smiles on their faces. When I asked who they were, my parents told me it was them and an old family friend. The picture on the desk was an exact copy. Taking a closer look at the man looking upon the village and again at the picture, it was clear who the middle age man was. The leader of Kagerou no Sato.

The second item in question was a large heavy book, bounded in leather and each of the pages dated. Although dusty, the book didn't show age, except the last entry dated almost 40 years ago. It had read, "They have finally given up trying to break though the door. I was surprised on how long the impenetrable locking seal Takumi devised lasted with all of Tani no Kuni's forces smashing into it. By the look of things, however, the bastards have decided to starve what few remain out, only to kill whoever surrenders. Takumi says he can put us into stasis, so that we don't die until aid arrives. He included that we won't age or decay calling it a mass time stop seal. I need to consider this, due to the fact that this will make us vulnerable if anyone breaks in. In addition, we would not lose perception of the world. In other words we see, feel, hear, smell and taste as we would normally. I'd rather not be in a state like that for a lengthy period, but I feel that a punishment such as watching my village being destroyed and seeing it's ruins forever can ever repeal the sins I have committed against my people. Kami, I hope Gennou gets his ass back here soon." I heard about Gennou from Naruto. He said that Gennou basically rigged Konoha with explosive tags and wire. More importantly, was that the trap master was still alive and living in Konoha now. I would have to ask him more things about my heritage.

The last thing was a stack of papers an inch high with a note attached which had read, "To whom it may concern: I have signed this treaty in goodwill, hoping that my country will rebuild and our children can live in harmony together. Please take this to the Hokage, he will understand what it is. The people in this building, including myself, are under a seal, which has put us in stasis. To remove the seal you need 4 people with high chakra control and a seal master. A code only a master can read is within the seal, and with this code he needs to direct his subordinates to different areas of this room and have them time the use of their chakra with the code." I look through the treaty, stating that Kagerou no longer wanted to wage war with Konoha and within the numerous details of Kagerou's surrender, it had even stated to become allies. On the last page, the leader had signed his name where indicated and where the Hokage's signature was supposed to be was blank. "I'm sorry, sir," I said out loud knowing full well that they can here me, "I am alone and no master of fuuinjutsu. However, I will fulfill your request and take this to Konoha. I will come back and free you afterwards, I promise." With my departure I had taken a map, sealed the treaty within a scroll and left a feeling of hope within the heart of a fallen leader.

I walked out of the building, closing the door behind me. As I proceeded through the village, I heard something. They were footsteps, running in my direction. There were twelve of them, coming from all angles. I notched an arrow onto my bowstring, pulled it back and released some chakra into it, causing the arrowhead to burn bright blue. As I turned, a white masked ninja came leaping off a rooftop with a kunai ready to throw. I fired my arrow strait at his chest, forcing him to block the chakra charged projectile. As his kunai came into contact however, lightning came surging out of the arrow, consuming his body, forcing him to scream out in pain as his flesh turned into dust. Two others ran out of an alley throwing shuriken. I jumped and flipped back over the spinning projectiles, giving me enough time to notch another arrow in mid-air. The two kept running at me throwing more shuriken and kunai as I kept jumping spinning and dodging, all the while pumping chakra into my arrow, this time glowing orange. At last, I released my string, firing the arrow between and ahead the assailants. Once my targets passed the arrow, a large fireball erupted from it, leaving nothing but charred remains. A fourth hunter-nin came out of the shadows shouting, "Earth style, Dragon God of Stone Jutsu!" Suddenly a huge dragon erupted from the ground and burrowed down back into the earth. Instinctually I leapt to my left noting the giant stone dragon bursting out of the ground where I once stood. When the dragon dove back down I was forced to roll out of the way grabbing another arrow as I tumbled. I felt the earth shake as I jumped back up and, again I had leapt into the air, aiming my white glowing arrow at the technique's practitioner. My arrow cut through the air at speeds only a sharingan user can follow, ran through my opponent, cutting him into quarters as it exited his body, and buried its sharp head into the ground.

Without warning, three nin sprang out of the ground and four of their comrades descended upon me. With their swords they all cut downwards at me, only to find their target replaced by a log. Standing on the top of a nearby building I made various handsigns and shouted, "Secret Jutsu, Three Pathways of Divine Disaster!" The three arrows that were fired released chakra, forming a bright white perimeter around the attackers. Immediately after a triangle was formed a huge pillar of light sprang upwards and into the ground, utterly vaporizing anything in its path. The only thing that was left was a triangle shaped crater and the arrows used for the technique. I dove off the roof top to retrieve my articles. To my left however, I heard a familiar feminine voice yell "Death to the traitor!" as she ran and started to thrust a well crafted katana. Her form was off; I parried with my wakizashi, forcing her to turn her back to me. Knocking the sword out of her hands, I grabbed her and pointed the now red hot blade at her clavicle. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you…" I stated, "You know what this blade is capable of, hell, you're the only one who creates these kinds of weapons… Kazumi." With that I tore off her mask, spun her around and tied her up with ninja wire in one swift move. She looked up at me and glared. The whites of her eyes were dark yellow and bloodshot. "Kazumi, what the fuck is wrong with you! Why are you even here?" I yelled. "Why the fuck do you think? Traitor!" She fired back. "Will you stop calling me that! It's not my fault that my own village sent me away, damn it!"

"Fuck no! You snuck out of the village during The Day of the Fallen! The one day we commemorate the fucking ninja who died at the hands of the goddamned Atkatsuki, you disappear!"

"The Day of the fallen? That was two months ago! I was not even gone for two weeks!"

"The Raikage sent out a fucking search party! They found nothing in your apartment, so don't give me that bullshit!"

"Why the hell are you here? You're not even a ninja!"

"I volunteered! I want to get my weapons back in the service of Kumogakure, I would rather die than see them in the hands of a traitor!"

"I am not a fucking traitor!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"YES YOU ARE! I saw what you did, you lying shithead! You just murdered eleven of your own fucking countrymen, damn it!" With that she started to cry. "You fucking bastard!"

"ENOUGH! We will settle this when we reach Konoha." With that, I knocked her out using a senbon covered with a poison used for abduction missions. The poison was designed to put someone out for three days, which was plenty long enough to get there. "And when we get there," I added, "we're gonna have you checked by a doctor, because you look like a bloody hepatitis victim." I retrieved my arrows, slung Kazumi over my shoulder and proceeded to the gate.

I gently placed the aforementioned woman onto my cart, and continued on my way to the village hidden in the leaves carrying a new purpose, a treaty and a 110 pound woman. Along the way I tried to figure out what Kazumi said, rather yelled, was all about. Why did she say that I left two months ago when it hasn't been two weeks since I departed. Also, why did she say that the Raikage sent out a search party and that she didn't want her weapons in the hands of a traitor? Hell, she gave me one right before I had left. There was definitely something wrong with her and I was going to find out why.

Twenty four hours later, in a dark room, a petite silhouette looked down upon two large shadows. Her yellow eyes showed her obvious annoyance. "What are you implying?" she asked, letting her frustration out in her tone. "Ma'am the squad we sent after Tadashi hasn't given a report within the last 30 hours, which probably means they've been KIA." The Raikage stated. "Knowing the style he operates however, we can safely conclude that all evidence of our actions has been destroyed." Killer Bee added. "How do you know this? Surely, he may have spared one to interrogate." said the yellow eyed mistress. "Not Tadashi's style. He kills every threat unless instructed. It has saved his ass countless times and the only downside is that half of the time the body is so mangled that it takes DNA testing just to get the target affirmed." said the Raikage. "Also, remember he uses the Three Pathways of Destruction technique frequently and all that leaves is his calling card, a triangle shaped crater in the ground." added Bee again. "No wonder he was next in line for Raikage. Too bad that I have to take him out in order for my plans to prosper, he would have made an excellent pawn." The woman mused. "What are we to do now, ma'am?" Killer Bee asked. "Simple, tell all of our friends in Konoha that an S-ranked shinobi has deserted us and is headed for their village. Go." She said. And at that the two hulking shadows walked out to fulfill their masters will, unknowingly it was against their own.

It took me three and a half days to reach Konoha from Kagerou. It really didn't help that I was taking care of another persons needs while they were sedated. Let's just say that I had to take care of her bathroom needs for her. Also, that the sedative that I gave her wore off in two days. She woke up only to resume her rant, calling me a traitor and many different expletives. Once I had sedated her again, it added an extra six hours to our little trip, due to the fact that her bowels gave way when the drug was administered and she was fully clothed. After washing her and her clothes in a nearby stream I was off. With no more sedative, I could only allow time to sleep to get to Konohagakure no Sato without her waking up again. Finally I could see the obscenely large gate of the obscenely large village known as Konoha. As soon as I got within one hundred yards of it however, I found myself surrounded by ANBU. "Your coming with us." said the one with the bear mask. "I was under the impression that my reception was to be a bit more welcoming" I said, noting their weapons drawn. "I guess I have no choice but to cooperate here though. Here are my documents for transfer." I added calmly. The masked man grabbed the paperwork out of my hands gave it to a subordinate and he shunshined back to the village. "Taishou!" one of them called out, "It looks like he has a passenger here, and she smells like a cesspool!" The ANBU captain looked at me expecting an explanation. "She attacked me while I was in Kagerou," I admitted, "but she's a good friend of mine, hell she made every weapon that I own. She is under heavy sedation. Just take care of her, alright?"

"We'll take care of the girl soon as you're detained." The captain answered.

"Detained, what for?" I fired back.

"You are charged with treason and desertion of your home village. Our orders are to detain you and confiscate your weapons." The Captain answered.

"I am under orders to be here sir, I showed you my summons. Please let me talk to the Hokage so I can sort this out." I reasoned.

"If you want to have an audience with the Hokage, we will still have to confiscate your weapons and escort you to the Hokage Tower, if that's fine with you." The masked-nin replied.

"That's fine with me." I retorted.

"You know, the only reason we're letting you do this is because you're being cooperative with us. Hell, you're basically turning yourself in." commented one of the underlings.

"It's because I'm innocent, hell I was going to the tower anyway. What of my belongings?" I asked.

"How the hell did you sneak that cart out of the village, anyway?" asked another subordinate. Being interrogated was starting to get on my nerves.

"I didn't, it was given to me. What are you gonna do with my belongings?" I asked once again.

"They'll be confiscated. Don't worry they'll be safe." The Captain reassured me.

I handed them my belongings, Hell I had no intention to fight my new home, even if I had just arrived. "Alright, this way please." The ANBU captain gestured towards the gate.

Konoha was tranquil. The sun shone brightly in the sky and few clouds were present, the exact opposite of Kumo. Hot thick air entered my lungs, flooding my body with spare oxygen, I felt fantastic. Well, physically at the very least. Walking down the main street saw shops, entertainment venues, restaurants, even a playground. It was like Kagerou, if it weren't for the fact that Kagerou was utterly obliterated. "This would be a great place to raise a family, despite being one of the five great shinobi nations." I speculated out loud. "Yeah, It would have never been like this if it weren't for Uzumaki Naruto. We owe everything to that kid." The captain added. "So Uzumaki is Hokage now?" I asked. "No, Tsunade-sama still has the position, but he's a popular candidate for when she retires. He finally got Jonin status after the war, though." The ANBU kindly replied. "Too bad he never met you, though. He's the kind of guy who changes people; you wouldn't have abandoned your village, if you had ever talked to the man." added another one of the subordinates. "The problem is, is that I have met him before and he did change me from the asshole that I was to the man I am today. The old me would probably try to fight you when you guys surrounded me." I interjected. As the conversation ended, we came up to the Hokage Tower. "Let me guess. The Hokage's office is on the top floor, right?" I asked rhetorically. My escort was not amused as they led me up the stairs and opened a door leading to my judgment.

END CHAPTER TWO

**Okay there's another chapter for you. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Thanks and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3: Foreign Politics

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did I would have lots of money, and I could spend it all on Guitars, Cars, Guns and many more manly things. But I don't and it sucks.**

The Ballad of Hyata Tadashi

_Opening theme: Unchained by Van Halen_

Chapter 3

Foreign Politics

The Hokage tower was beautifully appointed. The red walls where decorated with tapestries depicting epic battles. The furniture in the Lobby was all hand-carved oak and appointed with soft red velvet. Structurally it was similar to the capitol Building in Kagerou, but not as tall due to that Konoha had other buildings for different political uses. A secretary behind a large desk that complimented the room kindly greeted my escort and gave me a death glare laced with some killing intent. I just kept walking, unphased by her insignificant threat. We walked right up the stairs to the large, elegantly hand-carved oak doors that were the entrance into the Hokage's office. They had me sit on a nice couch that matched the atmosphere as the captain of the contingent of ANBU went and knocked on the ornately decorated door. A short woman with short black hair answered the door.

"Hello ANBU-san." She cordially greeted, "already done with your assignment?"

"I would be, Shizune-san, if our objective wasn't so cooperative and ask to see Hokage-sama himself." The Captain answered in a kind tone.

"Tsunade-sama is currently in an important meeting," Shizune said apologetically," I'm afraid you will have to…"

"Shizune, you may let them in." A female voice interrupted.

"Alright, it looks like you won't be waiting," Shizune said light-heartedly. "Please come in."

The Hokage's office was decorated much like the rest of the building, with red gold and dark stained woods. A long segmented window gave the onlooker a panoramic view of Konoha. Sitting behind the desk in front of it was The Fifth Hokage Senju Tsunade and I found myself standing right next to a familiar blonde haired, orange clad hero. His hair was longer and he had a signature Konoha flack jacket in black. His face was more angled than round, giving him a more mature expression.

"Hey, Tadashi," Naruto greeted, "I heard you were in deep shit so I decided to try to plead your case, I told Tsunade-baachan that you aren't the type to abandon your village, along with our history together."

"Thanks Uzumaki, I owe you. I heard you found Uchiha Sasuke." I said sincerely.

"He sure as hell put up a fight. I almost had to kill the guy to break a genjustu that Madara cast on him." Naruto provided.

"By the way, congrats on the promotion man, you should have gotten it way earlier than the last time we met." I said sincerely.

"Enough small talk. So, what do you have to say for yourself, Hyata Tadashi?" The Hokage spoke up, "Naruto holds you in high esteem and tells me that you would never leave Kumogakure. Yet, I get a message detailing your escape two months ago and your intention to come here for whatever reason. Now who should I trust, the gaki or the Raikage?" She asked rhetorically. "Plead your case and get it over already." She ordered.

"As you wish, Hokage-sama, however pleading my innocence is not my first priority." I stated formally.

Tsunade was slightly shocked at my statement. "Something is more important to you than defending yourself against charges of treason?" Tsunade questioned.

"Ma'am, if I didn't value something over my life, than I wouldn't be a ninja." I answered. She gestured me to continue. "In my travels I have stumbled upon The Village of Kagerou no Sato…"

"Impossible! We've been searching for years and have never found the remnants of that village!" one of the ANBU subordinates accusingly interrupted.

"Do you have evidence of this claim, Hyata-san?" piped up Shizune.

"As a matter of fact I do. Among my belongings I have a sealing scroll with a treaty along with a personal note attached written by the Leader of Kagerou no Sato. Also I have a detailed map to the village and my friend that I 'brought along' is an eye-witness." I responded.

"Why isn't your friend with us?" The Hokage inquired.

"She is under sedation at the moment. I recommend she gets medical treatment as well. The whites of her eyes are terribly yellow, she looks like she has Hepatitis." I provided.

"Why is she sedated?" Tsunade asked. "She attacked me while I was in Kagerou. I recognized her as soon as she spoke. Hell, Kazumi-chan crafted most of my weaponry. I don't kill people that I'm friends with or have openly dated." I elaborated.

"Back on the subject of Kagerou," Tsunade changed the subject, "why is it your number one priority? Tani no Kuni wiped out the place at least thirty-five years ago. Surely there are no survivors." The Hokage speculated.

"I have two reasons," I replied, "one, both of my parents were survivors of the incident; I'm curious about my genealogy. Two, There are survivors in the capitol building there. They've been sealed away by a fuuinjutsu that puts them into a stasis, while keeping them aware of their surroundings. To free them from their prison is my first priority." I stated.

"What of the charges against you?" the Hokage questioned.

"That can be addressed after my other two concerns." I retorted.

"Which are?" The Godaime requested unbelievingly.

"To find out what happened to my friend. She shouted some nonsense, saying I left two months prior to my assignment. She also accused me of doing it on the Day of the Fallen, which so happens that I spent that night with her and with me waking up next to her the following morning." I provided. Tsunade sweat dropped at the sight of one of her ANBU having some blood drip from behind his mask.

"Another odd thing," I continued, "when she attacked, her form was clumsy and her technique was sloppy with her sword. She and I sparred before and even though I'd always win, it was always by the skin of my teeth. I won easily this time."

Shizune spoke up again, "Are you sure it wasn't emotional distress? She may have been compromised in that manor due to your past, uh, 'relations' with her."

"Maybe she was, but it was probably because she saw me slaughter the party of hunter-nin she was a part of." I said, regretfully. _"Eleven of my comrades and I couldn't save any of them." _

"We will examine the girl, she is an eye-witness to this case and having her account is necessary." Tsunade reassured me. "You stated you had a third priority, care to elaborate?" she asked.

"Absolutely, Hokage-sama," I replied, "my last order of business is to visit the Ichiraku Ramen Stand." Everyone in the room face faulted, except Naruto. In fact, the jinchuuriki was jumping ecstatically and chanting, "Ramen, Ramen, Ramen!" all of a sudden a shoe flew across the room, nailing Naruto square on the forehead and sending him across the room.

"Do you even value your life?" Tsunade questioned, obviously annoyed.

"RAMEN IS LIFE!" Naruto shouted, which earned him another shoe.

"Fine, we'll get you some ramen after your sentencing is done." The Hokage graciously allowed. Naruto slowly got back to his spot next to me.

"Dude, you are going to love this place." Naruto whispered to me, with excitement in his tone.

"Now that your concerns are addressed," Tsunade looked at me, "we will now hear your account of the charges put against you." She said in an authoritative manner. "Did you leave the village of Kumogakure no Sato?"

"Yes," I said nonchalantly. Naruto face faulted this time. "I thought you were innocent in all of this! Even after I stuck up for you and told Tsunade-baa about you, you go and proclaim yourself guilty!" Naruto was livid.

"Explain," The Hokage demanded, "Did you all of a sudden have a change of heart?"

"No, I am innocent of these crimes against me, however if I stayed in Kumo, then I obviously wouldn't be here in Konoha. I was ordered to come here." I defended.

"Two months is a long time to go on a trip that lasts three days. What did you do, go on holiday?" Tsunade asked doubtfully.

"Actually, I had left eight days ago, and that was due to that I was delayed and encumbered. I'm surprised that the trip didn't take longer. I also have the documents to prove it, I believe they are in your possession." I continued.

"The documents you gave us are claimed to be forgeries," Tsunade interjected, "however, we have our own ways of finding out the truth."

I was a little afraid of what she might have been suggesting; torture can make you admit to anything, even though you are innocent, just to make the pain stop. I had training to resist torture, which means even though I have been telling the truth the whole time, they would try to push me to get more information out of me. I was trained to die than rather give up sensitive materials. "So you're going to torture me until I say what you want me to confess?"

"No," The Hokage responded, "We only torture those who are violent towards us or who withholds information from us. Your report just conflicts with the Raikage's allegations. I want you to see a man called Yamanaka Inoichi, a specialist in retrieving information from memories."

"Ma'am, some of my memories have information that can compromise the safety of Kumogakure. I need reassurance that those parts of my mind will not be accessed. Even though I had left, Kumo will always be my hometown, hell I still wear a Kumo forehead protector as a reminder of what I fought for my entire life." I reasoned.

"Don't worry, Yamanaka-san is a professional, he won't search for anything that doesn't pertain to the case." Tsunade smiled at me, as if she knew I was telling the truth and doing this only as a formality. "Your assignment is done ANBU-san; the gaki will be his escort to Interrogation." The Hokage continued.

"And Ichiraku's?" Naruto asked as his big blue eyes glimmered.

"Yes Naruto, you may take him to Ichiraku's." She permitted, annoyance and frustration coloring her tone. Before you know it Uzumaki pushed… I mean "escorted" me out the exit yelling "Thanks Baa-chan!" and slamming the huge heavy door behind him.

As we were walking down the newly rebuilt streets of Konoha, the blonde jounin finally started to settle down and instead of cheering about the prospects of consuming the so-called "food of the gods" we started conversing with each other. Eventually, it went on to the subject of my battle in Kagerou, which had impressed Naruto.

"So, man I never figured you for an archer, during that last mission you described yourself as a kenjutsu specialist and back then you only had one sword." Naruto speculated.

I answered his unspoken question, "Back then I was a specialist in mid to close-range combat, and I couldn't afford a full size katana. When I was promoted to special jounin, I realized that for me to progress I needed to increase my range, so I took up archery. Plus, I had money that I could invest after that promotion."

Naruto nodded in comprehension. Over the years, his mind settled down enough to think analytically, and when he needed to be, was a deep thinker. He kept his happy disposition and never say die attitude, and he would pretend to be oblivious sometimes just for a laugh.

It didn't take long for us to get to Ichiraku's Ramen, however instead of a small stand that was described to me; it was a large sit-down restaurant. We walked right in to our seats at the counter; the waitress at the door didn't bother asking us to wait. A cute brown haired waitress in her mid twenties came to serve us. "Hey Ayame-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, "What's up! I hope Teuchi isn't working you half to death."

"I'm actually doing well, Naruto-kun, thanks for asking," she said sincerely, "Who is your friend, if you don't mind me asking."

"This is Hyata Tadashi, he's a ninja from Kumogakure and an old friend." Naruto put succinctly.

"Well then, Hyata-san, any friend of Naruto's is a friend of ours. It's a pleasure to meet you," Ayame was completely genuine in her greeting.

"Please, just call me Tadashi," I kindly replied, "It's nice to meet you, Ayame-san."

"Just Ayame, what would you like to order, Tadashi?" she asked politely.

"I'll have the beef ramen, for starters please." I answered. "And I'll have a miso ramen!" Naruto exclaimed.

As we waited for the food being prepared for us, a discussion about all the changes arose. I wanted to know why Ichiraku's wasn't a small stand, among other things.

"So, what's with this place?" I questioned, "I thought Ichiraku's was a small mom and pop stand, at least that's what you told me all those years ago."

"When Konoha was destroyed by Pein, we decided to upgrade the entire village; stands and street vendors got their own stores and Teuchi-san got this huge place." Naruto answered. "Same thing with the Hokage Tower, it looked nothing like it did before the rebuild."

I nodded in understanding. Why build something exactly the same when it could be better? "So, did ya finally put the moves on Pinky-chan?" I said with a smirk. At that Naruto just started bursting out in laughter. He was basically rolling on the floor, laughing his ass off. It took him a few minutes to regain his composure.

"Ha, ha, oh my god is that funny… but seriously if I tried I'd be castrated either by her or my fiancé." Naruto's tone was deadly serious too.

"Wait a minute, fiancé? Who's the lucky broad?" I asked in disbelief. I was pretty damned surprised that it wasn't Sakura.

"Yeah, I'm engaged to the Hyuuga heiress, Hinata. She was the first one to confess her love for me. Afterwards, we just hit it off. Granted, for a long time I only had eyes for Sakura-chan. When she finally told me that she wanted me, it was too late. I already gave my heart away." He summed up.

At that I was pretty damn perplexed. When we first met, he treated her as if she was the world, and our mission took place way after those events. Just has he ended Ayame served us our food. We both chanted "Idikimatsu" before digging in. And let it be known though-out the heavens and the earth that Ichiraku Ramen is the most delicious dish that has ever graced this universe.

My first bite, it was like I had an orgasm, originating from my mouth. "Holy shit, is this stuff good!" I exclaimed. "No wonder you love this place Naruto, it's like a brothel for your mouth."

He laughed at that. I guess having paradise all the time, you get kind of used to it. After quickly finishing my bowl, we restarted the conversation. That stuff was too good to pause and talk for a few minutes.

"Okay, now that I'm finished, what of your relationship with Sakura?" I asked. "I mean, you treated her almost as if she was your family or lover."

"Well, after Sasuke ran off, Sakura-chan and I formed a special bond revolving around bringing him back. We became like siblings, especially after her expression of her "love" for me during our time in the Land of Iron. That's why I treat her as I do." He clarified.

The next few minutes we then discussed on what his future wife was like. Let's just say she gave Naruto the balance in his life he desperately needed. One question that was picking my mind was how he ever got approval of their clan leader. Apparently, Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. After some _extensive_ research and testing, Hyuuga Hiashi was more than thrilled to have his daughter betrothed to Naruto, going so far to say that it was an honor for the entire clan.

Another matter that was discussed briefly, after Ayame went ahead and told us our food was on the house, was the family name he would use. He would be married under the name Namikaze and afterwards announce his lineage to the public. As if the order didn't really matter, he was now a hero to the entire village and this would be icing on the ice-cream cake.

We walked out after giving our goodbyes to both Teuchi and Ayame. As we headed out to the Torture and Interrogation Division headquarters, Naruto brought up an alarming question.

"By the way, Tadashi, how's Sai?" Naruto asked casually. "We haven't gotten any reports about him for around five months; I thought maybe you can tell me how he is doing."

That one unexpected -question scared the living shit out of me. I knew that Kumo was supposed to give "progress reports" to Konoha, to see if he was acclimating well into his new environment. Naruto, who would obviously read the reports, was completely unaware of the fate his former teammate. Also, on the account that they stopped coming in two months before his death worried the hell out of me.

Naruto could see that I was startled at the question and had a perplexed look on his face. "Did something happen to him?" obviously fearing the worst.

I finally got my answer out, "He died three months ago. He was in his apartment, his corpse mangled up in a bloody heap on his bed, his blood smeared on almost every surface in the room. The investigation squad found no evidence left behind not even DNA." I saw Naruto wince at the news and hung his head in sorrow and, breathing heavily, looked up in anger.

"Why the fuck didn't I get a fucking report about this!" He yelled, directing his anger and frustration towards me.

With him yelling at me, it caused me to get defensive and raise my voice. "How the fuck should I know? I wrote the fucking report, hell I wrote all of them! I gave them to the Raikage personally!"

Naruto could sense that I was just as pissed off as he was, but he wanted to get to the bottom of it. "When we get over to T&I, do you mind if Inoichi can look into those memories too?" he asked with a say-no-and-I'll-slit-your-throat look in his eyes.

"No problem," I answered darkly.

With that, we arrived at the domed, gray building that is the T&I Headquarters. We walked in, the Interior of the building matched the outside, long corridors with many steel doors. We walked down the long hallway and turned left into a door about two-thirds of the way down.

Entering the room, we find a blonde ponytailed man wearing an awful amount of purple, and a long black trench coat over his flack jacket. Although the years have been good to him, Yamanaka Inoichi's eyes, cold and calculating, betrayed his seemingly youthful appearance.

"Well then, you must be Hyata Tadashi… please take a seat." He motioned towards a collapsible metal chair. "The Hokage has already briefed me Naruto, so I'll start right away." He added.

"Can you do me a favor, Yamanaka-san?" Naruto asked. "I need you to look for memories of a person named Sai from at least six months back and tell me what happened to him."

"Sure, as long as I have consent." Inoichi replied. I nodded, putting a smile on his face. "All right, let's begin."

I sat on the cold metal and Inoichi placed his fingertips on my forehead. He closed his eyes and I felt a pulse go through my body. Then, Inoichi's face started displaying different emotions, ranging from joy to rage to excitement to horror. I blinked causing my memories to literally flash before my eyes.

It wasn't until a minute that I figured what the man was actually doing. He was seeing what I saw, hearing what I heard and feeling what I felt. He was living my life and expressing my emotions.

Then, sometimes he would find a subject that was sensitive or personal and he would pause, bring it to my attention and ask for my consent. All I had to do was think yes or no and he would act accordingly. Other than that, all I had to do was sit and let Inoichi delve into my mind.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Kazumi woke up to white walls and wearing a hospital gown. Alarmed at her new surroundings, she sprang up looking around for someone to grill. Seeing no one was in the room, which had no windows, caused the claustrophobic woman to seek escape.

She rushed to the door, reaching out for the handle. She at first tried to open the door by twisting the knob normally, but the door was locked. Upon the sudden insight of this fact, Kazumi started to panic.

She frantically jostled the doorknob, banged on the door and finally screamed out, "Let me the fuck out of here, Damn it!" After a few more bangs on the door, her fear consumed her and she started to sob. Crawling on her hands and knees, she went to the corner of the room and cowered in fear as she felt the room close in upon her.

A minute passed, which felt like hours to Kazumi, and someone entered the room. She wore a white doctor's coat and had mint green eyes. However her most distinctive feature was her short pink hair.

Kazumi saw the person walk in through the door and glared at the doctor with her sickly, piss yellow eyes. However, She didn't care about the fact that she wasn't alone, rather that the door was unlocked. When the doctor came closer to lend her a hand back up, Kazumi pushed her to the side and rushed for the door, only to see the doctor right in front her again.

The doctor then stuck a syringe into her, injecting a clear liquid. Kazumi's limbs went numb and came crashing down, all the while still conscience, into the doctor's arms.

"What did you do to me?" Kazumi roared. "Where the hell am I? Where is Tadashi? Who the fuck are you?"

"Well first off, my name is Haruno Sakura, a doctor here at the Konohagakure hospital." She pointed to her forehead protector. "As for what I did to you, I gave you a paralyzing sedative we give to our more stubborn shinobi to prevent them from reopening their wounds. As for Tadashi, that is for me to know and you not to find out." She continued as she walked out the door, carrying Kazumi bridal style.

This startled Kazumi a bit, even though she was relieved that they weren't in the room any more. "Where are you taking me?" she demanded.

"First, we are going to get you back into your clothes." Sakura stated. Kazumi's face started to go red; she had forgotten that all she was wearing was a hospital gown. "Then we are going to see a man called Inoichi at The Torture and Interrogation building for some questioning." The medic-nin continued.

Kazumi paled at the place that she was about to go to. With the implications of torture, she was terrified at the things that they would do to her. However, the worst part for her was that she was now a prisoner of a foreign village and that her home probably thinks that she is dead. Nobody could rescue her.

Three hours after our session started, Inoichi took his hand off my forehead. He looked exhausted and he took a few deep breaths in to regain his bearings; reliving six months of a person's life in three hours was a taxing job on ones mind.

"Well, Tadashi-san, from what you have shown me I have concluded that your account is genuine." He said, still breathing a little heavy. Naruto, while happy that his friend was innocent, was still downcast to the news that his former teammate was dead.

"So, what you said about Sai was true." Naruto mused sadly.

"Yeah, I was surprised that you or anybody from Konoha for that matter never attended his funeral." I told Naruto. "Yeah, he really was." Inoichi confirmed. "I know he's telling the truth," Naruto and I deadpanned.

"Anyway," Inoichi cleared his throat, "Since you have been proven innocent, then I won't have to look into your friend's mind."

"Actually you do," I argued, "because I want to find out why Kumo sent out a party of hunter-nin that she was apart of. Also, it's an order from the Hokage."

"Well, she'll be coming over here any moment do you wish to see her?"Inoichi asked.

"No, I fear someone has tampered with her memories and she may try to kill me if she sees me. Although, I do have a request for you, Yamanaka-san," I replied. "Do not go into the memories where the schematics of the weapons I carry are. She's the one who made and designed them and they're very special."

Inoichi understood, if a Ninja's secrets are exposed, their methods can be easily countered. He nodded in agreement and asked for a list of my "special tools". I wrote them down on a piece of paper he provided and said our good-byes.

After our little session with Inoichi, we had three hours to kill, we went down to Naruto's apartment, and when I say apartment I mean the most expensive penthouse in Konoha. We were surprisingly silent during our way there. We were both lost in deep thought; I with my current situation and Naruto was probably mourning his lost comrade. It wasn't until we were in his apartment until one of us spoke up. The fact that I was the one who broke the silence was disturbing.

"Well, what's racking your brain, Naruto?" I tried. "You're gonna be okay, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Naruto reassured, "but why the missing reports? Have any of your messengers been attacked in the past five months?"

"No, all of them came back without a scratch, saying that their rounds were complete." I answered. "Since you never got the reports, however, I can guess two things. One, the messengers that were sent out didn't do their duty or that The Raikage never gave them the weekly reports in the first place." I mused aloud.

Naruto nodded, "What makes you think that the Raikage's to blame?"

"Because the hunter-nin who attacked me a few days ago were Kumo shinobi." I had stated despondently.

After Naruto and I speculated and thought of all possibilities, there was only one thing we couldn't make even a half-assed theory about. Why was all this happening? Why would Kumo or the Raikage be against me? Why didn't they get the reports to Konoha? What is the reason for all of this?

There was a knock on the door. Naruto answered it, revealing the same ANBU captain that had "arrested" me this morning.

"Good evening, Naruto. You guys have a summons to the Hokage tower for the verdict." The masked man cut right to the chase. "You guys ready?" We both nodded as we headed out the door.

At the Hokage Tower, we were shown into the office by Shizune. Tsunade motioned us to take our seats as she was looking over the reports given to her by Inoichi. Sitting next to me was not only Naruto, but also his pink headed teammate, Sakura was there. She and I exchanged pleasantries briefly and then we put all of our attention towards the Hokage.

Tsunade put down the papers and started to speak. "It looks like you've stumbled upon something interesting here, Hyata-san. From the reports Inoichi gave me and from other details that have been brought to my attention, I have concluded that the allegations set against you are untrue." The Hokage stated with an air of authority. "However, our meeting here shall not conclude due to additional concerns that have been brought to me." She added, and then signaled for Inoichi to come in. He stepped forward to state his account.

"Ma'am, during my investigation into Hyata-san's friend, Kazumi, I had found some disturbing problems with her memories." Inoichi stated. "A person's memory is like a river, it continuously flows with no breaks in between. Kazumi's memories however, have been chopped and condensed. In what I saw a good fourth of it is missing." He explained.

"So her memories have been erased?" Naruto tried to comprehend what Inoichi had to say.

"No, you can't erase memories, but you can seal them so they can't be accessed." Inoichi corrected. "However, when one seals the mind it affects the body in someway, hence her motor functions being off." He added .

"I went ahead and searched the recesses of her mind to find the sealed material and when I obtained it, I had found that most of them had you in them." He pointed to me. "Hell, some of the parts were rewritten, including emotions. My point is that this level of memory seal is unheard of." He elaborated further.

"Did you do anything to the seal?" Shizune piped up out of curiosity.

"Yes," the Yamanaka clan head answered, "In order for the memories to be examined, it required me to remove the seal. In turn the memory stream is being repaired automatically."

"Will that do any physical or mental damage to the subject?" Tsunade asked.

"No, the only symptom of the repair is that she will be asleep for a while, while her brain reboots. She should be fine by tomorrow." Inoichi promised. With that he was dismissed and sat down.

Afterwards, Sakura went and gave her a medical report on the girl, noting the motor function decrease. The most interesting matter she brought up was the eyes. Testing negative on all conditions that would cause a yellow discoloration of the sclera, Sakura had deemed it a side effect to the memory seal. She had based that theory after the fact when Inoichi removed the seal the discoloration had disappeared instantly. After giving Tsunade an updated copy of her report, she sat down back into her seat.

Now it was time for Tsunade to speak. "As for the missing reports on our fallen comrade Sai," Naruto looked down in sadness, "they are not the only examples of missing information that we should be receiving from Kumogakure. Also, if any reports were given they were vague or even misleading. When they sent me the information regarding you, Tadashi-san, it was much more detailed than all of the other recent bounties Kumo has declared."

Hearing that bit of news left me unsettled. _What in God's name is Kumo doing?_ "Therefore, in the regards that Kumo can't be honest with Konoha, we shall not be honest with them." The Hokage continued. "We will take in Hyata Tadashi, and yet tell our counterparts that he was never here in the first place. Not that we weren't doing that all along with Uchiha Sasuke. Also, we'll be gradually lowering the amount of clarity and detail of our reports down to their level."

With that, she got up from her seat and came over to me, holding her hand out. I rose and shook hands with the world's strongest woman. "Welcome to Konohagakure, Hyata Tadashi. I look forward to working with a ninja as prestigious as you." She smiled.

"Likewise, Hokage-sama." I smiled back. I was beginning to like my new home already.

Chapter 3 End

_End Theme: State of Emergency by Pillar_

**A/N: I'd like to thank all that had reviewed my last two chapters. Hopefully you all enjoyed this new installment, not a lot of action, but I assure you the ass kicking will come soon. Other than that, I have a few ideas for another story, one concerning the Mobile Suit Gundam Franchise and another idea is a Naruto/ Bleach crossover. Anyway, thanks for reading, please review, and keep on being epic! – Shorinji Ryu **


	4. Chapter 4: The Honor of Fallen Heroes

**Disclaimer: Shorinji Ryu doesn't own Naruto. However, Shorinji Ryu does like to talk in third person.**

**A/N: Sorry about the hiatus everyone... many unfortunate events have kept me from getting this chapter out, including the loss of my flash drive. I know excuses, excuses but it's difficult to start over. So without further wait...**

_The Ballad of Hyata Tadashi_

Chapter 4

_The Honor of Fallen Heroes_

_Opening theme: Unchained by Van Halen_

I couldn't see out of my left eye. Not after Kazumi woke up anyway. I spent all that night at her bedside waiting for her, only to receive a right jab to my face and to be called every profane name in the book, and then some.

Granted, I did knock her out for the better part of three days, gave her unconscious body to complete strangers in a foreign nation, who were so kind to put her in a small room with no windows. Still, that was no cause for her to fucking hit me and chew me out.

Well, after about ten minutes of listening to her "vent", the most awkward thing imaginable happened. She kissed me, and no, it wasn't a peck on the cheek, it was a three second, full blown make-out session. "What the hell, Kazumi!" I yelled as I pulled away, startled by her kiss.

"You maybe the the worlds biggest ass-wipe of a douchebag, but you still saved me. Consider that as a reward." Kazumi giggled and blushed. However, I've had "reward kisses" before, and that kiss was too sensual for it to be that. As I mused further about that sign of affection, another fist slammed into my right eye.

"What the fuck! Are you bipolar?" I yelled as I clenched my eye in pain.

"That was for taking my clothes off without permission, dickhead!" She raged with her hand still balled up in a fist.

"It's not my fault that you soiled yourself..." I tried to reason... or yelled.

"You administered the sedative, so it is your fault," she fired back, "and knowing you, you probably ogled at my tits for at least ten minutes before you redressed me."

"I did not," I scoffed, "and it's not like I've never seen you naked before..."

"That's not the point," she retaliated, "it's important for us girls to be modest."

"You weren't too concerned about your modesty the last time I had you sit on..."

Just then, we realized Sakura was standing in our room, holding a breakfast tray with her face as pink as her hair.

"Uhh, how long have you been standing there?" I asked as we both blushed beat red.

"Well," she started, trying to regain her composure, "I was going to give you guys breakfast, and I heard a person yell in pain. So I came in to help."

"So, was it the first or second punch?" Kazumi asked.

"Wait, two punches?" Sakura said confused.

I tuned my head so that she can see my left eye. "Well, that gives us that answer," I said as I pointed to the wound.

"It's swollen shut, it's going to need treatment." Sakura said, going into doctor mode. "Please come with me."

"You know this isn't over," Kazumi glared as I stepped out of the room, and I knew it too well that she was right. Trying to win an argument with Kazumi is like taking on all the members of Atkatsuki at the same time. You won't win and there will be lots of blood loss. Goody.

Sakura led me to another room, where she had me sit on an examination table. She sat down on a small rolling stool, examining the bruises on my face. She then started channeling a green chakra around her hand and placed it over my injured eye. The method she used to heal me gave of a strange tingling sensation and it didn't take long for her to switch to the other eye.

"So, that girl," Sakura broke the silence, "is she your girlfriend or something?"

"We were once, not anymore, though." I answered as she pulled her hand off my eye. "It was a bad break up, too. She wouldn't talk to me for weeks."

Sakura looked at me confused. "So what happened? How can you stand each other?"

"Well, at first our relationship was purely professional. She doesn't look the part, but she's a premier weaponsmith in Kumo; all of my equipment is of her design." Sakura nodded in comprehension. "We basically just reverted back to how it was then. I needed her weapons and she needed my money. It took us a little while to become friends again."

"What's going to happen, if you or her wants something more though?" Sakura asked a bit sheepishly. I knew exactly where she was going with this.

"If that happens, it happens, but I've got a feeling that this conversation isn't about me and Kazumi, isn't it?" The answer obvious, Sakura stayed silent.

"Let me guess, you're still in love with Naruto, even though your with Sasuke and your upset that he's with the bitch with cataracts." That got her talking.

"I just don't get it," she confessed, "how do you leave those feelings behind?"

"It's simple, really." That quickly got her attention. "You don't. At least I never did."

"Wait, you still..." The doctor was shocked to hear that.

"Yup, but your in a different position than me. Sometimes the only way to move forward is to step to the side first." She looked down, almost looking disappointed. "But, how can I cope?"

"Focus on Sasuke." I quickly responded. "The more you do that, I'm sure things will look up." She looked up at me and smiled. "Thanks, Tadashi."

.o.O.o.

After Sakura's therapy session and checking out of the hospital, I decided that going to my apartment and unpacking was the best. Using Parkour in excess, I jumped, flipped and skidded among the various rooftops of Konoha to get to the apartment complex, which happened to be the one topped with Naruto's penthouse.

Walking into the Elevator, I pressed the button for the nineteenth floor. It took no time at all to get up there, and to my surprise my room was directly in front of the elevator. Opening the door with the key Naruto gave me, revealed a spacious, fully furnished apartment. I expected my things would still be in boxes, but to my surprise everything was put away.

I wandered into my bedroom, to find my weapons decoratively laid on one of the dressers, and my clothes neatly put in their drawers and hung. On top of the perfectly made bed, was a note folded in half from Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata. The short message in beautiful calligraphy read:

_Hyata-san, we hope you're comfortable in your new surroundings and to aid you, we took the liberty of unpacking you. If, there is anything you need assistance with, feel free to request our help. Sincerely, Hinata and Naruto._

After reading this it was obvious who did all this, and I was starting to feel sorry for calling her a bitch with cataracts. Suddenly, however, I heard a door open. As I looked out of the bedroom door, I found Naruto lounging on my new sofa with his feet on my new glass coffee table switching through the channels on the flatscreen.

"Uh, excuse me," I said, getting Naruto's attention, "Do you mind knocking next time you barge into my apartment."

"Well, that's no way to treat your landlord, is it? Especially when your rent is on the house." Naruto scoffed. He got up and started raiding the fridge.

"Well you took my chore for the day, so I got nothing better to do." I joked.

"Actually, Baa-chan wants to talk to you today about Kagerou no Sato, but I want you to meet someone first." Naruto answered.

Then, as if my life were a poorly written sitcom with too many penis jokes, someone knocked on the door.

"Alright, come on in mystery person," I sarcastically scoffed, "even though it's obvious your Naruto's fiancee."

"God damn it!" a masculine voice screamed out on the other side of the door. "Why, does everyone think I'm gay?"

That, got me curious. Opening the door, I saw a tall, long haired shinobi wearing a fishnet shirt under his flack jacket, fingerless driver's gloves and standard black pants all under an open trench coat. It was Uchiha Sasuke.

"Hey, Naruto... Oh, shit." Once he saw me he turned on his Sharingan and reaching for his sword, Kusanagi. At that time, Naruto leaped forward getting in between us to prevent a breaking out.

"Naruto, get out of the way!" Sasuke commanded. "Do you even know who this bastard is."

"Actually, I do." Naruto retaliated. "He used to be the bounty hunter from Kumo who was after your head, now he's a political refugee."

"Wait a second, you didn't tell him I was here?" I was appalled.

"Well, then he wouldn't have come at all..." Naruto tried to explain.

"You got that right, dobe." Sasuke glared.

"Ugh, This was not supposed to happen." I groaned. "I knew that when I came to this village I'd run into you, but I was planning to do it much, much later..." I glared at Naruto, "...and definitely less awkward."

"To be honest with you, you two would have met at the Hokage's summons today, anyway..." Naruto confessed.

"That still would've been less awkward than this." I fumed.

"C'mon... let's go before we're late..." Sasuke said, annoyed and still with his sword unsheathed.

.o.O.o.

Even though we were technically late, due to a stop at Ichiraku's, the meeting didn't start until two hours after we arrived. It wasn't until a specific silver-haired ninja showed up that the meeting actually started. His excuse was that he simply got lost on the road of life... yeah.

The next five minutes were spent by The Hokage and Naruto, chewing out the lazy ninja, now known to me as Kakashi. Also known as Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja. How did this guy get such a reputation, I wondered. "So, you're Hyata Tadashi." The famous ninja snapped me out of my thoughts. "I've heard things about you."

"That's probably because I'm in the new Kumo bingo book, right?" I figured.

"Yup," Kakashi held up a white book, "that and I take special interest in newcomers to our village." He passed the book to me. "Welcome, by the way."

I flipped it open to where he bookmarked it and saw my stats. "Wait, this isn't right." I pointed at my rank.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"It has me down as an upper S-rank missing nin." I explained. "I'm lower S-rank, mid S-rank on a phenomenal day and the price on my head is outrageous."

Tsunade was astounded by the number. "Fifty million ryo!"

"It's a lot of money, but I remember Sasuke's being a lot higher, somewhere in the five hundred million range." I said as everyone gaped at the number. "However It's dropped considerably..."

"I was never taken off?" Sasuke asked.

"Here's the thing about the bingo book," I clarified as I switched over to Sasuke's page, "once you're in, you never come out. Wait a minute..."

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Sasuke's bounty rose from the last issue, before it was around fifteen." I displayed the book so that every one can see. "Congratulations, your bounty has tripled. What the fuck did you do in the past month that pissed off someone so much that they triple your bounty?"

"Well, if I did, they wouldn't know it was me." he replied. "I wear a mask when I'm out on missions."

"Look's like we have to watch our backs, especially on this mission." Tsunade stated sternly, which got everyone's attention. "This one is different, a rescue mission for the inhabitants of Kagerou no Sato." She gestured towards me. "Hyata-san has located the village and will be your guide for the mission."

"As for your role, Kakashi," she changed the focus of the conversation, "The surviving inhabitants are under fuuinjutsu, one that literally seals their physical state, so they don't age, die or grow hungry..."

"Hm, I have heard of that seal before..." Kakashi mused out loud. "I believe it's called a mass time stop seal."

"Yes," Tsunade confirmed, "our source also describes what is required for releasing the seal. As our top seal master, I have enlisted your help."

"What about the four others required for the removal process?" asked Kakashi, who obviously knew the seal's inner-workings already.

"The four I've selected are Shizune, Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino." She announced.

"Then why are we even here?" Sasuke grilled, frustrated at the thought of the Hokage wasting his time.

"One, the mission is close to the border of Thunder, whose hunter-nin are after Hyata-san's bounty. You two are his escort." Tsunade explained. "There may be dozens of survivors to tend and protect on the way back; I'm having Shikamaru and Chouji go, as well as Kiba, Shino, Neji, Tenten and Rock Lee."

"Damn, that's a hell of a lot of manpower..." I speculated out loud. "Fifteen Jounin level shinobi on the same mission..."

"This is a political mission with many lives in the balance," Tsunade elaborated. Then she crossed her arms and smirked. "Plus, Konoha's elite haven't really had any good missions since the war."

.o.O.o.

Today proved itself to be difficult for the Fourth Raikage. Each day, tasks were getting more and more challenging, his mind clouded and his motor functions decreasing. However his job was more important, which was to complete any task given to him from _her_. He walked down the halls of his compound finding the chamber of his master.

"Ma'am," the Raikage addressed his involuntary overlord, "The reports from Konoha are in."

"What is Konoha's report?" the long haired maiden asked.

"They claim they have not seen Tadashi but they swear to actively search and apprehend him if he is found." The man replied.

"Hmm, so they're protecting him," mused the leader as she stepped out of the shadows, revealing a pale beautiful young woman, her long light blue hair draped over a black kimono. "This is unexpected." She said as her anger showed through her yellow eyes.

"So, what do you suggest?" The Raikage wondered. "Do we march on Konoha?"

The woman laughed lightly. "You know those are not my methods, Raikage-kun. This is a delicate situation that needs a delicate resolution."

The Raikage humbly lowered his head in submission. "What would you have me do?"

"Send _those two._" She ordered. "They know him best, next to Kazumi-chan."

"Yes, Ma'am." The Raikage bowed.

"Time and time again the methods of men have been used; war is indeed a useful tool. However, my goals cannot come to pass with mass bloodshed." The beautiful mistress smiled. "I will come to power by the subtle ways of assassination, espionage and corruption, however." Her yellow eyes glowed. "What sort of kingdom has it's ruler despised by it's subjects?"

.o.O.o.

The campfire was bright, lighting the whole camp and casting shadows of three shinobi among the trees surrounding the clearing. Over the fire, they were cooking up a rabbit they found while on patrol. After eating, one of the ninja went into his tent to sleep. I was that ninja.

As I prepared to sleep, I heard a scream and a yell come from outside. Without thought, I grabbed a kunai and rushed out to see what had happened.

The ground was littered by numerous kunai, which had also covered my two slowly dying companions. I looked around frantically, watching the ambushers come out and surround me. They were all missing nin, almost all of them from Iwa. One of them charged, sword in hand, aiming for my chest.

Using the kunai in reverse grip, I parried the deadly charge to the right while spinning out of the way, only to have another attacker drop from the sky.

Bringing the kunai up to block just in time, I kept in contact with his knife as he came down. Now facing the side of my opponent, I thrust the kunai up into the man's face, throwing his dead body into another charge from my first attacker.

Next, three shinobi came at me at all angles, and with me now weaponless, I launched myself in the air and the three gave chase. Not for long however, for as I leaped I did a few hand signs. "Fire style, great fireball jutsu!" I watched my pursuers remains fall to the ground, still burning.

Landing by my incapacitated but still alive friends, more ninja crept out of the shadows and yet none of them had done any Jutsu. "Who the hell are you!" I challenged, but all I got back were smiles and laughter. More and more gathered around me. I started going through another set of hand signs when multiple sharp pains shot into my chest.

With seven kunai buried within me, I staggered back, leaning up against a tree. Just then, a sword plunged into my stomach, pinning me to my support and as a last ditch effort, grabbed the swordsman's arm, pulled a kunai from my chest and put a hole in his windpipe. After that, the world was sent spinning and all I could do is hear the sound of my two best friends being tortured and raped.

Then I woke up in my new, lavishly appointed apartment. I've been having the same nightmare for the past year, of how Shadow and Raven died. Hell, their bodies were so mangled that I couldn't recognize either of them. Knowing that I had a mission this morning, I couldn't dwell on the past for long, for I knew I had to prepare for the worst. After strapping on my effects and having a well balanced breakfast (which in my dictionary means eat an ass-load of bacon) did I feel comfortable enough to head to the gates.

Running, jumping and sliding among the rooftops of Konoha, I headed towards the gate. Looking down towards the street I saw a familiar plume of silver hair walking in the opposite direction. I decided to follow him, knowing that the mission won't start without him or myself for that matter. Dropping onto the street in front of him didn't phase Kakashi at all, he just lowered his little book and eye-smiled at me. "Oh, how are you, Tadashi-san?" He asked casually.

"Feeling pretty good actually." I said as I stretched my arms, walking with him. "How 'bout you?"

"Fine, I guess." He resumed reading his book.

"You do realize that the gate is the other way, right?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yup" was all he gave. "So, where are we walking to? Granted, I'll find out where we're going when we get there..." I prodded. Kakashi just sighed as we continued on our way.

It was some time before we arrived at our destination, It was a stone monument with hundreds of headstones among it, entitled "The Will of Fire". "This is the place that our heroes are honored. Most of my friend's names are on this statue, I come here to pay my respects everyday." Kakashi said looking at the statue.

"So, these are Konoha's martyrs. In Kumo, we have an annual festival called 'The Day of the Fallen' to commemorate all that have died for the village." I crossed my arms. "The day I was accused of leaving the village." I started to get visibly upset. "How dare they, when they know my team is among those celebrated that day." I muttered under my breath.

"It seems you've inherited The Will of Fire already, then..." Kakashi speculated out loud.

"What do you mean by 'inherited'?" I was thrown off a little by his comment.

Kakashi sighed. "The Will of Fire is not just this statue's name. It's the will to basically give up everything for the sake of the village." He crossed his arms. "Sure, people have their reasons for becoming a ninja. However, the one's who change their reasons to this will, shall be immortalized as heroes."

"Hey, Kakashi," I said as I pulled out a metal flask from my jacket. "For our fallen comrades and friends..." I took a shot and handed the flask to him.

"For our comrades and friends..."

.o.O.o.

Kakashi and I made it back to the gate about three hours after we were supposed to be there. Needless to say, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were absolutely pissed off. "WHAT THE HELL, KAKASHI!" They yelled in unison.

"Well, uh, you see, a lady lost her purse and..."

"YOU USED THAT ONE ALREADY!" The three exclaimed, cutting off Kakashi's explanation. "Wait, why the hell are you late?" Naruto pointed at me.

"Me? Well, I was helping Hatake-san with the purse." The three accusers facefaulted.

"Oi, Naruto, who is this guy anyway?" A ninja sitting on top of a large dog belted out.

"Ah, yes, sorry everyone..." I addressed the small crowd. "My name is Hyata Tadashi. I will be your guide as we set out for Kagerou no Sato."

"Oh, so you're the one Hokage-sama was talking about!" Shouted a green clad shinobi with a rather spirited demeanor. "I am Rock Lee, it is an honor meeting such a youthful one as you Tadashi-kun!" He gave me a huge smile and a thumbs-up and to wrap it up, a wink.

"Sorry buddy, but I don't bend that way," I quickly replied, which received a confused look from Lee. Quickly, a woman squeaked in between me and Mr. Inappropriate. Smiling and waving her hands she tried to excuse the guy's upfront behavior.

"Please do not misunderstand my teammate, he is just a bit eccentric, that's all..." The kunoichi said apologetically.

"It's okay," I replied, "Just as long as I don't share a tent with him." I turned back to the group. "Any questions before we leave?" Many hands were raised.

I pointed over to a Hyuuga-clan member, which was obviously not Naruto's fiancee. "Okay, state your name and your question."

"Hyuuga Neji and my question is where exactly is Kagerou located?" The white-eyed prodigy asked.

"To be completely honest with you Neji, I can't give you those details until we arrive. However, I will tell you that we will be in close proximity to Lightning Country, whose ninja are currently after my head. So keep on your toes. Any others?" Most of the hands were put down. I pointed to

the loudmouth with the dog.

"Inuzuka Kiba and this is Akamaru," the dog barked after it's master's introduction. "I just want to know why Kumo is after you? What did you do that makes them want to kill you so bad?"

"That is a very good question. To be frank, I'd like to find that out myself one day. Okay, anyone else?" This time no hands were raised; it was obvious this team was well briefed. "Alright, let's go."

Leaping through the trees at incredible speeds, I took a glance towards my team. Seeing their Konoha Insignias on their foreheads somewhat startled me, as I was brought up to not trust Konoha. Logic settled in, however, letting me focus on my objective.

Looking back to check on my teammates again, I saw none of them lagged behind, despite how fast we were going. Even though I knew Tsunade wouldn't give me a bunch of cannon fodder, I was still impressed by this group's speed and stamina. Despite our late start, we were well into Valley Country by nightfall. It was then when we decided to set up camp.

As everyone pitched their tents and searched for firewood, I went around setting up traps for fools who would dare attack us. I'm particularly proud of one; it uses the torsional resistance of a few branches to swipe a makeshift blade across the back of an intruders knees, amputating the would-be assailant. After setting a numerous amount of traps (most of which involved explosion tags) I finally took my place around the campfire.

"What's the matter Tadashi?" blurted out Kiba as I sat down. "Afraid of an ambush even though you're surrounded by an army of A and S-rank shinobi?"

"Well, the last time I didn't setup traps around camp, my team, comprised of ANBU, was destroyed and I was almost killed." I stood up and took off my jacket and mesh shirt to reveal a large white scar on my stomach and several others all over my torso. "Even the most competent shinobi are susceptible to the element of surprise."

Kiba backed off while Akamaru gave a small whimper. Honestly, I knew that he was just teasing, but now wasn't the time or place and he realized it. Crossing my arms, I addressed the entire party, "We've got a long day ahead of us, so I suggest we get some rest." I stretched out and gave a big yawn. "Unless anybody else has another burning question about me or my routine?"

"Just one." Stated a man wearing sunglasses, despite it being night. "What is the purpose of wearing two forehead protectors?"

I just smirked and said, "To remind me why I got the scars in the first place." With that I went into my tent, to once again relive that night in my nightmares.

.o.O.o.

Waking up to get an early start and to compensate for our tardiness yesterday, I stretched as I walked out of my tent. My body was sore from sleeping with full gear on, but that didn't matter to me that morning; I knew there were more important things to do than complain. Kakashi and Shizune were waiting for me, cleaning up the campground and packing their tents. "Hey, I'm going out and disarming my traps,"

I told the two.

"No need for that Tadashi-san," said Neji as he and Hinata came out of the forest. "That has been already taken care of."

"You sure you got all of them?" I said with skepticism. Everyone got a laugh from that one.

"I didn't think we'd have to remind you who your team consists of..." Neji smirked.

"Oh, leave me alone. It's early and I'm from bloody Kumogakure, I'm not used to having team members with the motherfucking byakugan." I mumbled as I grabbed a scroll from my jacket and unfurled it in front of my tent. Clapping my hands together, my tent "poofed" out of existence and was sealed into the scroll.

As I rolled up the scroll, the others came out of their tents and sealed them, already prepped and ready to move out. "Damn it, I should have known Konoha was full of 'morning people'..." I grumbled to myself.

"How are you this morning, Tadashi-kun?" Lee greeted joyously. "I hope you had many youthful dreams last night!"

"Yeah, thanks..." I said, creeped out and feeling a little violated. I reached into my pocket and I grabbed my secret weapon, caffeine pills.

"Uh, what was that?" Lee asked confused.

"Let's just say they make me feel more... youthful..." I tried to explain.

At that, Lee's eyes widened. "Amazing! I must obtain some of these! Do you have any extra?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no... don't give him any!" Both his teammates pleaded as they pulled him away.

"Alright, is everyone ready then?" Kakashi questioned. All of the ninja nodded. "Okay, Tadashi lead the way." With a nod, I led the large force, running through the valleys and into steep mountain passages.

Deep in Mountain Country, the air was starting to fog. Uncomfortable with their vision clouded, the two Hyuuga activated their byakugan and gasped at the sight of the ruins of Kagerou no Sato. "So that's why they could never find it." Hinata said astounded.

"All the search teams were looking for was a small outcropping of buildings..." Neji agreed.

As the team moved forward, one by one they realized what this village used to be.

"Kami, it's a city..." Kakashi said with awe. Before we knew it we were at the city gates.

"It's like a mini Konoha..." Sakura exclaimed.

"With one exception," Sasuke pointed out. "Everyone is dead..."

End Chapter 4

_Ending theme: State of Emergency by Pillar_

**A/N: Okay everybody, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Now you know some of the details concerning Tadashi's past and a part of his true enemies plans... and yeah I did leave a little bit of a cliffhanger, but I think you guys can handle it. Remember to review and favorite! -Shorinji Ryu**


	5. Chapter 5: Secrets of a Dead Society

**Disclaimer: Shorinji Ryu doesn't own Naruto. Chances are that you don't either. Now doesn't that suck?**

_The Ballad of Hyata Tadashi_

Chapter 5

_Secrets of a Dead Society_

Opening Theme: _Unchained _by_ Van Halen_

.o.O.o.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN EVERYONE'S FUCKING DEAD?" Naruto roared with rage. "We came all this way for nothing!"

"Are you sure Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

"I can't sense any chakra other than our own," he stated coldly, his sharingan burning deep red.

"Neji, scan the area to make sure Sasuke didn't miss anything." Kakashi ordered.

With a nod and a shout of "byakugan", Neji did as he was ordered to do. Looking around for a bit, he noticed a feint, almost invisible aura at the Central Government Building. "It's weak, but there is a chakra signature surrounding the HQ. According to Tadashi-san's report, that's where the survivors were sealed."

Everyone exhaled in relief, "Thanks Sasuke, you almost gave everyone a heart attack," replied a pineapple headed Jounin, "I forgot how troublesome it could be when working with you."

Sasuke's reply was just a single grunt; it was pretty damn obvious that he still retained some of his former arrogance.

"Okay, so now all we need to do is grab everybody and go," A blonde kunoichi speculated as she started for the gate.

"Hold on," I warned, "before we go I have to tell you something about the people that used to live here. The Ninja of this village were skilled trap makers and fuuinjutsu masters. A.K.A. If we just rush in and go into places exploring, chances are that you will become a bloodstain on a nearby ceiling."

"I don't know which is scarier, the traps or the way you just said that." A rather overweight ninja said.

"Actually, you've got nothing to worry about if we take the path I took last time, so just follow me." Then I just realized something very important. "By the way, what are your names? That could be very important down the road." Everyone sweat dropped as I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment.

.o.O.o.

After the task of getting introduced to everyone else, which seemed to take forever, we headed into the desolate wasteland called Kagerou no Sato. Despite the thick fog outside the village, the air was clear after entering the village gate, surprising the newcomers and giving them a perfect view of death and destruction.

"These bodies… most of them aren't ninja." Shizune said, pointing out the scattered remains.

Sakura noticed one of the skeletons. "Oh, my god… even children…"

"Did… Did Konoha do this?" Lee was in shock.

"No," I answered bluntly. "This was Tani no Kuni's doing. However, Konoha did do much damage to their military and resources. If Kagerou hadn't fought them, they might have stood a chance."

"I wonder what the hell did this?" Kiba said pointing out a perfectly triangular crater in the town square.

"Well, actually that is all that remains of the ninja who attacked me here." I said apprehensively.

"But, how…" Sakura said trying to figure out what kind of technique could leave such a perfect hole in the ground.

"You know, it is really rude to ask a ninja his secrets," I sighed as we continued on our way.

Walking down the streets was a somber experience; even Kakashi and Shino were visibly shaken at the sight of this level of massacre. Even though in reality it didn't take long to reach the HQ, it felt like an eternity getting over there.

"Wait," Kakashi warned, sharingan blazing, as I reached for the door handle, but it was too late. I opened the door, and nothing happened. "What the hell?" Kakashi was confused.

"What's the matter, Kakashi?" I asked.

"That door, it had a blood seal on it, which permits entry only to people from Kagerou." Kakashi stated. "Also, it absorbs the chakra of anyone who touches the door not permitted, killing the intruder and making the seal stronger at the same time."

"Well, being that my parents were from this village, it's pretty easy to see why I'm not dead." I said nonchalantly as I ripped the seal off the backside of the door. "There, nothing to worry about."

Meeting the gaze of the young secretary, many were amazed that she didn't age the past 38 years; Ino was definitely jealous. Granted, who the fuck wouldn't be?

Trying to get a closer look, Hinata activated her byakugan. "Whoa… this makes no sense."

"What is it?" Naruto asked his fiancée.

"Her chakra is there, but… It's not flowing, As if it's a movie being paused…"

"Ah, I see," Kakashi mused. "I guess that would make sense, with the nature of the Mass Time Stop Seal."

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke inquired.

"The Mass Time Stop Seal is a technique which basically seals away your current self, so you don't age, grow hungry and you don't die. The drawbacks are that under the seal you become immobile and you remain conscience." Kakashi explained. "As chakra is basically your life force, it too needs to be 'paused' for the desired effect." He looked over at me. "Let's go, I'd hate to have to wait and look at the same thing for forty years."

I took the seal removal team up to the main office where the seal was performed. Examining the seal painted on the floor, Kakashi directed his team to each point required to remove the seal. Arranged in a pentagon, Kakashi gave orders to his subordinates.

"All right, the seal requires us to release our chakra in a certain order with perfect timing." Kakashi explained. "The way I set it up, I will initiate the sequence, directing the chakra towards Sakura. Once it reaches your position, you will immediately release your chakra to Hinata, then from Hinata to Ino and then from Ino to Shizune. Shizune then will complete the sequence directing her chakra towards me, creating a perfect five-pointed star." Everyone gave Kakashi a nod. "If done correctly, the seal should unlock itself."

"And if someone screws up?" Ino asked.

"You may come under the seal's effects or you may even die." Kakashi said as seriously as possible. "Tadashi, if you would please leave us to our work."

"Right," I said as I started to leave. "Don't worry Kagerou-san; these are the best five ninja Konoha has to offer for removing seals. They'll be fine."

.o.O.o.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Kakashi asked. Getting nods from everyone, he knelt down, giving the cue for everyone else to do the same. "Remember, relax, focus on the direction and timing, we only get one shot at this." Kakashi's hands glowed a bright blue."I will now begin."

At an alarming rate of speed, the trail of chakra sped towards Sakura. Pushing her chakra into the seal at exactly the right moment, she expertly launched her energy towards Hinata. Gaining momentum and power, the chakra was then successfully redirected to Ino.

Sweating from the pressure, Ino pushed her own energy precisely when she needed to and sent the ever building mass of chakra to Shizune. With a face full of determination, Shizune expertly added her chakra to the mix and fired the heaping mass back to Kakashi.

Catching the massive and ferociously fast chakra cocktail, Kakashi pushed the energy down into the seal, causing the once black ink to glow an intense white and slowly dissolve.

.o.O.o.

In the lobby with the rest of the group, I wondered what I would do after this mission, in regards to my current situation. Even though it would be stupid, deep down I really wanted to march down to the Raikage's office and just kick his ass and only common sense kept me form doing so.

Toying with the idea, an image popped into my head of myself in chibi form, strangling the Raikage. I laughed at the thought out loud, earning myself a few odd looks.

"Are you okay, Tadashi-san?" Tenten gave me a concerned look.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just got a funny picture in my mind, that's all." I said, still grinning. My facial expression changed however when I saw what was happening to the walls. Numerous lines of white glowing kanji grew down the walls like vines. Once reaching the floor a large star appeared on the floor, brightly shining and then dissolving in a few seconds.

"That must've been the seal!" Naruto exclaimed. Remembering the secretary, we all gathered around the reception desk. For a moment, she was still in the exact position and suddenly she blinked. She gave a look of disbelief and she blinked again. Bringing up her hands and looking at them in the first time in forty years, she started to shake.

"I can… I can… move…" She said in utter disbelief and suddenly she broke down weeping with joy, saying "I can move" over and over again. Tenten, utilizing her feminine Instinct, came over and embraced the woman in an effort to comfort her.

"Alright everybody," I addressed the room, "these people are just waking up, they need to be tended to. Since there is twenty floors and there is nine of us we will take two floors each and search for survivors. Any questions?"

"What are we to do afterwards?" asked Naruto.

"Gather them and get them all outside, they've been cooped up in here for forty years and I doubt that they want to stick around." I answered. "Let's go." With that, everyone ran for the stairs.

.o.O.o.

"Well done everyone," Kakashi praised his group as they stood up in unison.

"Yes, well done indeed…" A smooth baritone voice came from behind them. Everyone turned to see the leader of Kagerou no Sato now sitting at his desk. "I had never thought that Konoha would be the ones who would rescue us, however." He admitted. "Takumi, how are you feeling?"

The ninja who had cast the seal finally stood up. "Thank you Hyata-sama. Considering being sealed away for so long, I guess I can say I feel pretty good."

"Wait, did you just say Hyata-sama?" Sakura asked, checking if she was hearing things correctly.

"Yes, he did." answered the leader. "I am Hyata Takaeda, Leader of Kagerou no Sato."

"But that's Tadashi-san's…" Ino had a look of disbelief.

"Is something wrong?" Takaeda was concerned.

"No, Hyata-sama, we're just a bit surprised. You share the same surname as our friend who guided us here." Hinata put eloquently.

"Hmm, that is interesting, that would mean that my nephew escaped the attack, but to Konoha? That doesn't make sense…" The man thought out loud.

"Tadashi-san is from Kumo, he was transferred to Konoha not too long ago." Hinata chose her words carefully. "And If I may ask, why wouldn't he defect to Konoha?"

"His father, and my brother, was the council member who came up with the terrible Idea of waging war with Konoha in the first place." Takaeda frowned in regret. "He also led our forces in the first battle and was killed. After that my nephew cultivated a grudge against Konoha, it would make sense to go east."

"So, basically your Tadashi-san's Granduncle…" Ino mused.

"Yes, if this Tadashi is my nephew's son." He said stroking his chin, which to his surprise was still clean-shaven.

"Hyata-sama, knowing that it has been around forty years, I very much like to think that a change of scenery will be to your liking." Kakashi suggested. "Please come back with us to Konoha."

It didn't take long for the former village leader to make a decision. "Absolutely, I've been looking at the remains of my people for far too long, we will be leaving."

Takumi saluted his superior. "Yes sir!"

"However, before we go, there is something I want this Tadashi to see…"

.o.O.o.

Outside of the Kagerou Headquarters, I watched as a small crowd of survivors started to gather. With their village wrecked and their livelihoods taken away from them, many of them wondered what they were to do now.

"So this is what's left of the village…" Sasuke folded his arms, disappointed.

"Final count is fifty three survivors, including the two mentioned on the top floor, Tadashi." Neji reported.

"Shit, I was really hoping for more, fucking bastards…" I murmured in frustration, Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I couldn't agree more." An unfamiliar voice spoke. Turning around, I found the head of Kagerou no Sato, with sadness and regret in his eyes. "They destroyed everything I helped build and come to love. That was thirty eight years ago, and during that time I had to look at my foolish decisions and their consequences." He took a breath of exasperation. "Come with me, I can answer your questions if you have any." And together we headed back into the capitol building.

"So, Hatake-san told me you wanted to know about your genealogy, any specific questions you want to ask?" Asked the one-time leader.

"I do, but may I ask your name first?" I answered.

"You may call me Takaeda…" He gave. "Now what is your question?" He asked as he moved behind the receptionist's desk.

"Does the name Hyata mean anything to you?" I said as I put my hands down on the desk.

"It means a lot, actually.' He scoffed. "Hyata is the name that built this village, engineered the air scrubbers and laid down the system of government that we use. Without that family, Kagerou would have never existed."

Upon hearing that, my eyes went wide. "Why didn't dad tell me any of this?" I wondered with a hint of rage. "Building a village, establishing government? What the hell are 'air scrubbers' anyway?"

"Well, Toshirou was probably thinking that this information would be too painful to give to you. Either that or he didn't want it to go to your head." He said. "As for the air scrubbers, that's the reason you're not inhaling that toxic mist that conceals the village."

My eyes widened in panic, because I knew everyone on my team breathed in that mist without a gasmask. "Don't worry Tadashi; it's only harmful if you live in the stuff. Taking in a few breaths won't hurt you." He added, taking heed to my panicked state.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed. "It's always something with this village, god damn it. Toxic mist, traps that can turn you into a shit stain, proximity to a country that's after your head…" I listed off.

"Wait, who is after you?" Takaeda demanded. "Is it Valley?"

"No, they were wiped off the map a while ago, Kumo is the one who wants me dead." I confessed.

"Wait, the Hyuuga girl said that you were transferred from Kumo to Konoha…" Takaeda was definitely confused.

"That is what they led me to believe, but in fact they used a peace treaty to exile me, and now they've placed a cool fifty on my head. As for Konoha, I've enlisted in their ranks so that I could figure this shit out." I summed up.

"Wow, fifty thousand? You got to be pretty damn good for that kind of money." Takaeda mused.

"Better than you think, I meant fifty million." I smirked with a sense of pride. Takaeda's eyes threatened to pop out of his head when I said that.

"Well then," He laughed nervously, "I suppose that you may need this more than I thought." Turning around and placing his hand on the wall, Takaeda pushed his chakra into a hidden seal, causing a section of the wall to crumble away and revealing a set of descending stairs. "Follow me."

"The room we are going to is off limits to everyone, except those of the Hyata name." He explained as we headed down the stairs. "In fact the only ones who knew this existed were me, my brother, and Takumi; he knew only because I wanted this place to be underneath the seal's Influence as well."

Then it finally clicked. "I see. You don't just know my family, you are my family…." I laughed a little. "So what does that make you?"

"Your Grandfather's brother, or in other words, your Granduncle…" He sighed.

"That's not gonna fly in public, you look way too young for that." I chuckled.

"Fine then, you can refer to me as your uncle." He laughed lightly as we got to the bottom of the long staircase. Opening the door, my newfound uncle revealed a laboratory, filled with large computers and cables connecting them to three large green tanks situated on the other side of the room.

Walking up to the tanks, I could see three adult bodies floating in each tank, two men and one woman. "What the hell?" Takaeda surprisingly shouted.

"That's my fucking line! What the hell is this?" I exclaimed.

"Sorry, it's just the day I left them they were physically still children, but it seems the seal was too weak down here and they had aged very slowly instead. Perhaps the technique was too far away from them, so they didn't get the full benefits of the seal." My uncle apologized and speculated.

"Uh, that still didn't answer my question. Who are they, why they're in there and what's with all the fucking equipment." I demanded.

"Why, uh, yes… In order for you to fully understand you have to hear the whole story behind Kagerou no Sato." Takaeda tried to reason.

"Whatever it takes, just tell me," I convinced him.

"Kagerou used to be a small mining community, which had problems with the ever present toxic mist. Many people were dying and as young inventors, my brother and I invented the air scrubbers that still function today to rid the miners of that problem." He started to explain.

"When word got out that it was safe to work in the mines here, the population had boomed and for our work we were elected as the first leaders of Kagerou no Sato. As the town got larger, the Daimyo took notice and entrusted us to build him an army, which my brother was in control of." He said with a small bit of disdain.

"The problem was the population consisted of younger people, as only able-bodied people are fit to work in the mines. They were too old to start shinobi training and their children were too young." He sighed. "This was supposed to be the answer to that problem." He said as he pointed at the tanks.

"What, cloning?" I asked confused.

"No, no, no… These aren't clones. These are real humans, no copies, each one unique. These three you see are from my gene pool, in essence my children." He tried to clarify.

"I don't get it, why don't you just have babies the normal way?" I tried.

"Ah, here's the thing, this way they mature in less time and are taught the shinobi arts while they develop, for efficiency's sake." My Scientist Uncle tried to convince me.

"Okay so you made an army of these things and attacked Konoha with them, correct?" I guessed.

"These three were the only ones made, actually." He confessed. "What had happened was that the Daimyo decided to bolster our ranks with a large number of his own men. With the influx of the new soldiers, my brother pushed for war to show Kagerou's military might, so we could obtain protection contracts and economically expand." He scoffed. "You should know the rest of the story."

"Yeah, I know." I pointed to the tanks. "So, I guess these are technically my cousins, since you said they come from our family's genes and everything, right?"

"Correct." My uncle confirmed, giving me a nod.

"You know, they've been in there a long time, how do you know they won't retaliate?" I questioned.

"I don't." Takaeda said sadly.

Pondering on what to do, I finally made up my mind. "Let them go, but if they try anything, I'm not gonna stop them."

"Alright, I'll initiate the unlocking sequence," my mad scientist of an uncle agreed. "And I thought that you might want to keep them locked up."

"What are you kidding me? I'd be the biggest asshole ever if I let you go and not these guys." I defended myself.

After unlocking all the encryption codes, which took forever, the tanks began to drain out the strange, green tinted liquid suspending my new family members. Through the now clear glass I could get a better look them. One of the males was tall, around six foot two, and he was very skinny but still built up to a point. He had short black hair and silver eyes.

The other male was rather short, around five foot six, still skinny but built more than his taller brother. He had long blonde hair extending past his waist and emerald green eyes. The sister was an absolute knock-out, and it sure as hell didn't help that she was ass-naked. Five foot eight, size five dress, D-cup breasts, and she had long green hair. Her left eye was a deep violet while her right was a lighter pink. All three of them were absolutely stunning in the looks department and had pale skin.

"Well, at least you can say our family makes pretty babies." I joked, which my uncle surprisingly laughed at.

"Don't get too excited; remember she's your cousin." He joked back.

"Oh, ha ha ha… fuck you!"

"Alright, all we need to do is wake them up," stated Takaeda, going strait back to business.

"How do we go about doing that?" I wondered out loud.

"Just ask them to," my uncle said as he gestured towards the open tanks.

Walking up to the tallest one, I took a deep breath, wondering how he'd react to me. In a half whisper I asked him to wake up. "Hey, buddy… C'mon it's time to wake up." Suddenly, his eyes closed and reopened slowly.

"So, you're Cousin Tadashi?" He asked gently. I just nodded back. "It's nice to meet you," He stated calmly and smiled.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too…" Then I realized I didn't know his name.

"Don't worry; I know dad never told you our names. I'm Hyata Hiroshi." He introduced himself.

"How do you know all this, Hiroshi?" I asked. "Your dad didn't even know I existed until this morning."

"Simple, there are microphones in the room, which let's us listen to dad and anyone else in the room." He explained as he climbed out of his tank. "Granted, it is nice talking to someone with my own voice."

"Mind If I wake up your siblings?" I asked. "This time I'd like to know their names, though."

"Sure, my sister is Natsuki and my brother is Masao." He provided as relaxed as he could be.

The next tank held the sister of the three siblings. Speaking again in a half whisper, I gently woke her. "Hey, beautiful.. Time to wake up." She quickly blinked a few times to adjust her eyes. I smiled at her. "Hi, Natsuki…"

"Oh, hello Tadashi," She greeted stoically as she climbed out of her tank and brushed right past me. "What's the matter, never seen a woman naked before?" she teased, proudly displaying her goods, front window and with full advertisement.

"The problem is that I have." I sighed. "And the fact you put them all to shame." Natsuki laughed at that.

"Just remember that we're cousins, Tadashi-kun." She said cutely, which was probably the most awkward thing she could do.

Feeling a little violated, I moved on to Masao's tank. Again with a half-whisper, I began to wake him. "Wakey, Wakey, it's daybreaky, Masao…"

"Uh, Tadashi, Masao's…" Hiroshi tried to warn me, but it was too little to late. The moment Masao woke up, he bowled me over with a shout of "Tadashi-kun!" hugging me as he rolled on the ground.

"Oh, Tadashi-kun, I can't believe it's you! I always wanted to meet you, even though I haven't heard about you up until thirty minutes ago, but still!" He cried, tossing and turning me over on the floor.

"Okay, okay, Masao, I really wanted to meet you too… Now can you please let go of me?" I pleaded as he continued to whip me around on the floor.

"Okay, Masao you can stop it." My uncle stepped in. Heeding to his fathers words he stopped immediately.

Giving me a big grin, Masao apologized. "I'm sorry; I'm just so excited to meet you!"

I laughed, "Yeah, no kidding…" Looking around at the members of my new family I had realized one thing… "WHY THE HELL IS EVERYONE STILL NAKED!"

After finding some robes to cover my cousins' nudity, we came up to the surface together. On the way up I discovered that the three knew the fate of the village, due to the fact that they were linked to a video feed that monitors the entire village. My uncle clarified the reason; so that the three can discover the outside world and watch how others interacted with each other.

However, even though they've been subjected to watch their village being destroyed, looking upon the disaster with their own eyes was still a new experience for the three. Natsuki buried her tears into Hiroshi's chest, with him whispering words of comfort, trying not to break down in sadness as well. Even the energetic Masao was somber as he took in the sights of his home in ruins.

"Looks like you were able to find more survivors, Tadashi," Kakashi greeted.

"Final count would be fifty six then," Naruto crossed his arms, still disappointed by the number. "What did Takaeda-san show you by the way?" He asked curiously.

"Detailed information on my family." I provided. "Apparently, he's my Granduncle and those three are my cousins." I pointed off to the small group. "This is the first time those three have seen their village like this." I half-lied. "_If Konoha is anything like Kumo, I have to keep these guys' origins a secret." _I thought to myself.

"Where were they?" asked Shikamaru. "We searched the entire building, how did they manage to hide from Neji's or Hinata's Byakugan?"

"They were sealed away in the basement," I explained, "which is about a quarter of a mile below the surface. They're his kids, so he hid them there and put some complex seals over the entrance to protect them."

"Ah, I see. What I don't understand is why they look only a little younger then their father. With the seal the place was under, they shouldn't have aged at all." Shikamaru's analysis was starting to scare me; luckily my Uncle came to the rescue.

"Yes I was wondering that myself, since they were much younger than when I sealed them away." He told, sensing the fact I was hiding details from my new comrades. "What happened, Takumi?" He asked his right hand man.

Takumi took a deep breath. "When you told me to seal the basement, I was doubtful that I would be able to so. I did my best to extend the reach of the seal as far down as possible, but…" He sighed with deep regret. "I must've failed Hyata-sama." His face filled with remorse.

Placing a hand on his subordinate's shoulder, Takaeda tried to comfort him. "It's okay Takumi; my descendants are alive and well, thanks to your efforts." He smiled. "Even though they are a bit older than the last time I saw them." Still upset, Takumi just nodded. Takaeda turned to me. "I will go now and address my people. We will be leaving soon, so get your team ready."

As the leader of the decimated village walked over to his people, I turned to my cousins. "So, uh, I know you guys are ninja, but what do you each specialize in?"

Masao, getting excited once again, spoke first. "I like to find people and then beat the shit outta them!" He exclaimed.

"Can I get a little more detail?" I deadpanned.

Hiroshi smiled. "Well that's basically what he does. He's a close range specialist who overruns you with speed and strength and a sensory type as well. He can track a chakra signature a half a mile away. He also is talented in genjutsu." He explained. "As for weaknesses, he can't fight long-range and he's too impatient for infiltration."

Masao pouted when listening to his shortcomings. "It's not my fault that dad never taught me…"

"Okay, how about yourself, Hiroshi?" I asked, moving on.  
"I am a Ninjutsu specialist, excelling in mid-range combat," He started, lax as can be. "My affinities are Doton (earth), Suiton (Water) and Raiton (lightning). I am also the politician in the group."

"So what are you're weaknesses?" I asked, trying to figure out how this team works.

"He sucks balls at Taijutsu," Masao teased

"That and his chakra control is pure shit…" Natsuki chimed in. "As for me, I'm an infiltrator, interrogator, trap expert, medic, and Fuuinjutsu master.' She provided, saying every word with a hint of lust. "For my weaknesses, I'm not as physically strong as the boys and my chakra pool is lacking."

"Alright, thanks guys. I got to go and get everyone ready to move out." I excused myself. As I turned, Natsuki slipped around me, placing herself in front of me.

"Tadashi-kun, you forgot something." She teased, her words dripping sex.

"Yeah, what are you good at?" Masao said accusingly.

"It's only fair for you to tell us what you're capable of." Hiroshi coolly agreed.

"Okay, I am a long and close range fighter, specializing in weapons use. As for Ninjutsu I have an abnormally large chakra pool and three affinities as well: Raiton, Katon (Fire), and Fuuton (Wind). My weaknesses are that I rely purely on speed for defense and I can't use genjustu, I can only dispel it." I provided.

"How's your chakra control?" Natsuki asked.

"Never had that problem strangely…" I admitted. "I know it goes against the natural balance, my instructors were always baffled at it." I looked back over at my team. "Now, I got to gather and brief my teammates before your dad gets done."

I walked back to Naruto, Kakashi, and Shikamaru with my three cousins following behind me. "Okay we need everyone ready to go soon, It's likely that these people don't want to stick around here for too long."

"I'll go spread the word," Naruto volunteered. With a shout of "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu", a half dozen Narutos poofed into existence and headed on their way to notify the rest of the team. It wasn't long before everyone arrived.

"So what's the deal, we leaving already?" Kiba crossed his arms. "Cause Akamaru's nose is getting messed up from the mist surrounding the village…" He said, genuinely concerned about his canine friend.

"Yes, once the leader is done addressing his people." Kakashi confirmed.

"And after we get some decent clothes, I'm practically naked…" Natsuki said sexily. Blood started spilling out of everyone's noses, including Shino's and Sasuke's, as a result.

"Heh, too easy…" Natsuki stated in triumph.

After a few more minutes, and a couple boxes of tissues later, my uncle finished reassuring his people and answering any questions they had. Coming over to my group, he addressed us all with a stern look upon his face. "My people have agreed to come with us to Konoha, but if we do leave there are things to be taken care of first." He pointed at his three children. "Let's go get you guys some clothes and equipment, I know some places that weren't ransacked by those barbarians." He put some anger in that last part.

The three followed their 'father' into the city, leaving us to guard the otherwise defenseless citizens. As we waited for about thirty minutes, the crowd started to become restless with complaints of hunger and their patience was wearing thin. Luckily, we had extra rations sealed away for them, which kept them at bay till my now fully clothed family arrived.

Running at the head of the group was Masao, who now wore a maroon t-shirt, black cargo pants and black standard shinobi footwear. Over his shirt he wore an open dark grey flack jacket and a pair of dog tags were around his neck. Behind him was my uncle, wearing his usual garb, with my other two cousins walking behind him. Hiroshi wore a dark blue, fluted, zip-up sweater with dark brown cargo pants and wore black ninja boots as well as the same jacket, which he wore closed, and dog tags as Masao.

As for his sister, she wore short cut, olive drab t-shirt which showed off her belly, as well as camouflage cargo pants that were cut low on her waist, exposing the thin waistband of her undergarments, which were orange. Like her brothers she too wore an open flack jacket, dog tags and black boots.

"You're all set?" I called out to my uncle Takaeda. "We've been waiting quite a while for you, what took you so long?"

"Yes, just had to do a few preparations before we leave." He answered as he approached me. "Are you ready to move out?"

"Say the word and we're off." I gave him a thumbs up.

Lining the people up in two columns and posting shinobi on both sides for protection, we began our journey through the mist. The villagers, bringing almost nothing with them were quiet and somber, as there was nothing to be joyous about. After we exited out of the toxic haze, Takaeda had us stop and pulled out a small metal cylinder with a black button on top.

"There is one thing I have left to do." He stated. "We do not want our village to become a base of operation for bandits or slavers. As such, I installed explosives onto the things that make our city habitable and profitable, the air scrubbers and mines."

After saying that, he pressed the button and in the distance, behind the veil of fog, multiple explosions rang out from Kagerou no Sato and echoed across the mountainous terrain. "I apologize, but it was the only way that we could leave."

All I did was nod in comprehension, and we set off to their new home.

.o.O.o.

Running and jumping through the rugged terrain, two shinobi with white masks made their way through Mountain Country, scanning every inch of rock in search of their prey. Keeping up with each other at a ferocious pace, they were absolute in their resolve to find whatever their target was…

And annihilate it.

That was the job of elite shinobi comparable to them, so on they searched. Suddenly, the two heard multiple explosions, ringing and echoing off of the sides of the mountains. Not even stopping to gain their bearings, the two sped off to the direction of the disturbance.

"So, it seems our Intel was correct, Raven!" The man ahead called out to his partner, excitement brewing in his voice.

"It's about damn time something happened, but don't get too excited Shadow." Raven responded.

Chapter 5 End

_**End Theme: State of Emergency by Pillar**_

**A/N: Alright there's Chapter 5 for y'all, got some new OC's which I love each and everyone of them, and shortly I will have a synopsis of each one on my profile for reference. I hope you enjoy reading about them just as much as I have enjoyed writing about them! And as always, please review and favorite, if you do I'll give you a virtual hug and you know everybody likes virtual hugs… See you next update!**

**~Shorinji Ryu**


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